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NAVY LIFE IN PEACE 
TIME 

I . m 

With Evans to the Pacific 


BY 

MARGARET J. CODD 

W 

Author of “The Story of Lafayette,” etc. 



1924 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


COPYRIGIIT. 190'), 10-4, P,V A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 


p 


.01 

I 



PRINTED IN TIIE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



PREFACE 


During the great war, the United States Navy has 
been brought prominently before our people and the 
effiicient work in transport convoy and submarine 
destruction has been a source of pride to us all. 

This little travel story of the voyage from Hamp¬ 
ton Roads to San Francisco has been used as a means 
of giving some information in regard to our navy. The 
route of the fleet has been closely followed and typical 
experiences have been introduced to give an idea of 
life on shipboard; the sketches of the life of Rear- 
Admiral Robley D. Evans may help to give some idea 
of the personality of this gallant officer, who has done 
so much to bring our nav} r up to its present high degree 
of efficiency; while the narration of matters of general 
interest in regard to the principal countries of South 
America it is hoped may add to the value of the book. 

Jake and Harry saw the sights just as hundreds of 
boys and young men on the vessels saw them, and they 
tell the story of the cruise in a simple way, which all 
may understand. 

Among others, the following books have been con¬ 
sulted in the preparation of this work: “A Sailor’s 
Log,” by Robley D. Evans; “A Cruise on the Yankee,’; 
Irving’s “Columbus”; Carpenters South America , 
Prescott’s “Conquest of Peru ; and AVireless Tele¬ 
phony,” by Ernst Ruhmer. I am also indebted to the 
Navy Department for many courtesies, to “The Mak- 


PREFACE 


ing of a Man o’ Warsman,” by Street & Finney for 
much information, and to the magazines and the press 
of the country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, for 
vivid accounts of the events of the cruise. 

This achievement of our battleship fleet is not a 
transient matter, but is historically important as one 
of the most interesting incidents of President Roose¬ 
velt’s administration. 

From lack of space much that might profitably have 
been given, has been unavoidably omitted, but I hope 
the children of our land will enjoy reading this story 
of the Atlantic Fleet, which was written to interest them 
in our navy. M. J. C. 



With Evans to the pacific 


THE FLEET AT ANCHOR 

The sixteen great warships swung lazily at anchor in 
the sheltered waters of Hampton Roads. The giant 
dogs of war looked peaceful enough in their spotless 
white paint and gleaming metal-work, but the dark 
guns pointing from sides and turrets gave hint of what 
might come if need arose to defend our dear land. No 
wars of oppression and greed on the part of the United 
States will call these great ships into action, but they 
stand ready to defend the right; to guard the seas; and 
to make the way of them that go down to the sea in ships 
a path of peace and safety. 

It was a bright December morning. The waters 
of Chesapeake Bay were dotted with little sailboats 
and launches which darted in and out, here and there, 
for everybody was anxious to have a last look at our 
battleship fleet before the big ships started on their 
long journey. 

On the wharf at Norfolk a black-eyed boy stood 
watching the busy scene. Jake Diedrich was about 
fourteen years old and had come from the training 
ship to join the Connecticut; and he felt quite elated 
that he was to have the honor of serving on the flag¬ 
ship of the fleet. Near him stood a tall, slender young 


7 



ROUTE FOLLOWED BY THE BATTLE FLEET 

Sailing from Hampton Roads, December 16, 1907, and arriving at San Francisco 

May 6, 1908 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


9 



THE GIANT DOGS OF WAR 


fellow about eighteen years of age. His name was 
Harry Willis and he looked somewhat like a high-school 
boy, but he had enlisted in Uncle Sam’s navy and was. 
waiting for the steam-launch to take him to the same 
destination. 

His blue eyes met Jake’s dark ones with a friendly 
gleam, and the two boys began to talk about the strange 
sights and beautiful ships. Both were full of bright 
anticipations of all they were to see on the long cruise 
before them. 

Soon the little navy-yard tug came puffing up and 
took a group of waiting men to the flagship and the 
boys went with them. 

In the rush to board the tug, one of the men, named 
McCarthy, was shoved to one side, lost his balance, and 




10 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


fell with a splash into the water. “Man overboard !” 
shouted his mate, and “Man overboard!” was yelled 
by the crowd on the wharf. Mac was soon fished out 
and, spluttering and dripping, exclaimed, “Oh, but it’s 
wet!” when the commanding officer finished matters 
and raised a laugh by saying, “Mind, my man, that you 
do not leave this ship again without permission.” All 
now being safe on board, the tug soon reached the ship; 
and the noble lines of the Connecticut and her size and 
apparent power greatly impressed the men. They 
were assigned to duty and the routine of ship life 
began. 

On shipboard the crew is divided into two sections 
called watches, the starboard and the port, which attend 
in alternation to the working of the vessel. For 
instance, the port watch will go on duty at midnight, 
serve four hours and be relieved by the starboard watch. 
The starboard watch then serves four hours, at the end 
of which the port watch again goes on duty* This is 
kept up, day and night, each watch serving four hours 
except between four o’clock in the afternoon and eight 
in the evening, when the watch is divided into two short 
ones, called “dog watches,” which serve to shift the 
hours of duty for the seamen, enabling them to have 
turn about what are considered the easier watches. 

The first watch, from midnight till four o’clock in 
the morning, is called the “mid watch”; the second, 
from four o’clock till eight, the “morning watch”: the 
third, from eight o’clock till noon, the “forenoon 
watch”; the fourth, from noon till four o’clock in the 
afternoon, the “afternoon watch.” The fifth is divided 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


11 


into the first “dog watch,” from four o’clock till six, 
and the second “dog watch,” from six till eight. The 
sixth, from eight o’clock in the evening till midnight, 
is technically known as the “first watch,” but is popu¬ 
larly and generally called the “eight to twelve watch.” 

On shipboard, you know, time is told by bells. The 
twenty-four hours of the day are divided into six 
periods of four hours each, beginning at midnight. One 
hell is rung for every half hour of each watch, running 
up to eight bells at the end of the watch. Thus, in the 
mid watch one bell is 12:30 a. m. ; two bells, 1 a. m. ; 
three bells, 1:30 a. m., and so on. The eight bells that 
end the morning watch are rung at 8 a. m. ; the eight 
hells that end the forenoon watch are rung at 12 noon, 
and the eight bells that end the afternoon watch are 
rung at 4 P. M. 

Jake knew all this, having learned it on the train¬ 
ing ship. The landlubbers, like Harry, were puzzled at 
first, but soon became accustomed to it. 

Jake was at first assigned duty as a cabin boy; that 
was not his choice, for he would far rather have been 
with the crew on deck; but he had made up his mind 
to rise, and he had early learned the lesson, “If you 
can’t have what you want, you must take what you 
can get,” so he was ready to do his best and wait for 
advancement. 

Harry had learned something about electricity in 
his high-school course and was attached to the electrical 
department of the ship, for ships in these days have 
whirring dynamos, and the electric sprite is harnessed 
to do its work. Electric signal lights blazed at the 


12 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


mastheads of the ships of the fleet, electric hells rang 
through the vessels, and messages were transmitted 
from ship to ship at sea by the wireless system of 
telephony. 

Mac, as an experienced seaman, was made one of 
the working crew. There were over nine hundred men 
on the Connecticut and over fourteen thousand were 
needed to man the sixteen great battleships of the 
fleet. Of course, in such a gathering, there were all sorts 
and conditions of men. Some had come from a rest¬ 
less desire to see the world; some had come simply for 
the money to be earned; some had come because they 
loved the sea. These last were the old salts, the seadogs, 
who could not be happy on land. 

THE FIRST NIGHT ON SHIPBOARD 

At half-past seven in the evening came the welcome 
sound of the boatswain’s whistle and, in obedience to 
it, the sailors went below to swing their hammocks for 
the night. A sailor’s hammock is made of a strip of 
heavy canvas about seven feet long. Through holes at 
each end, placed short distances apart, are run ropes, 
or clews, as the sailors call them. These clews are gath¬ 
ered together and tied to an iron ring at each end of 
the hammock and these rings are hung on hooks in the 
beams overhead. 

When the hammock is properly slung it forms a 
very comfortable rest for the night, but to get safely 
into it requires quite a knack and green hands usually 
take several sprawls on the hard deck before they ac¬ 
complish the feat successfully. Harry’s high-school 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


IS 


instruction was of little use here, and even his initia¬ 
tion into the mysterious “frat” threw no light upon this 
hard problem. 

He noticed there seemed to be no pillow, but he had 
placed the narrow mattress and blankets in position, 
and the narrow bag-like arrangement which serves for 



SIGNALS FROM THE ADMIRAL 


sheets in the navy. Harry was rather confused by his 
new surroundings and, giving a desperate spring, 
landed on his head on the deck instead of in bed. Of 
course his shipmates laughed over his misfortune, but 
the new hands among them fared no better, till one 
old salt showed them how to grasp the iron rings near 
the head and spring into the hammock. 










14 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


Harry looked again in perplexity. What was he 
to do with his clothes? There seemed to be no place 
to hang them, and it was against orders to leave them 
on the deck. The squad of raw recruits stood won¬ 
dering, when they saw another old sailor disrobe. He 
calmly made a neat roll of his jacket and trousers; and 
another of his shoes, socks and shirt. The first roll 
he placed at the head for a pillow; the second, he tucked 
in at the foot of the mattress. The mystery was solved 
and Harry and the other new men hastened to follow 
his example. They were asleep in short order and we 
may leave them dreaming “The Sailor Boy’s Dream.” 

“Early to bed and early to rise” is the rule for 
seamen in Uncle Sam’s navy, so next morning at half¬ 
past five they were roused by the bugle call and all 
hands were required to get up promptly except those 
who had been on the mid watch. The morning watch 
had had coffee and hardtack and gone up on deck at 
four o’clock. Regular breakfast is not served till half- 
past seven, and there is usually much work to be done 
before that time. 

The men, half asleep, jumped from their ham¬ 
mocks and into their clothing and then, in obedience to 
orders, proceeded to roll and lash their swinging beds 
and stow them away in large boxes on the gun deck. 
As the crew had been busy for days scrubbing and pol¬ 
ishing, and everything in sight was shining and spot¬ 
less, they were now given a little time to arrange their 
belongings. 

Of course sailors need a change of clothing and a 
few conveniences to keep themselves comfortable dur- 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


15 


ing such a long voyage. There is not much spare space 
on shipboard, but each man is allowed a little ditty box 
or chest about a foot and a half each way, and a black 
bag about three feet long and a foot in diameter, in 
which to stow clothing and the like. 

It is surprising to see how much the experienced 
ones can pack in this small space, and the boys soon 
learned to roll their clothes smoothly into the very 
smallest compass. Each box and each bag is num¬ 
bered, and on shipboard one soon learns the lesson that 
there is a place for everything and everything must be 
kept in its place. The delinquents who leave their be¬ 
longings lying around are lucky if they find them in 
the “lucky bag” the next morning; but they are also 
unlucky, as the officer of the guard assigns them, as a 
punishment for their disobedience to orders, various dis¬ 
agreeable chores and duties. 

Harry and Jake were glad to hear the breakfast call 
from the boatswain’s whistle and, with the other sea¬ 
men, hurried to the mess-tables where a bountiful meal 
was ready for them. Uncle Sam provides good fare for 
his men and they usually have hearty appetites for it. 

The ship’s crew is divided into parties of from 
twenty to thirty each, called messes, each of which has 
its own mess-cook and mess-equipment. The mess- 
table is a board from twelve to fourteen feet long and 
two feet wide, having a raised edge to keep the dishes 
from sliding off. When in use this is swung from the 
beams as the hammocks are; and folding mess-benches, 
which like the tables can be stowed away, serve for seats. 
Each mess-chest contains an iron plate, cup, knife, fork. 


16 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



PEELING THE POTATOES FOR DINNER 
Courtesy of Bureau of Navigation 


and spoon for each member; and each mess usually 
furnishes the mess-cook a helper, who serves for a week. 
Twenty minutes is the time allowed for meals and, with 
a clatter of knives and forks on the metal plates, the 
crew show great promptness and dispatch in stowing 
away the food set before them. 

After the regular morning inspection was over,, 
Harry and Jake had their first view of Admiral Evans,, 
as he stood on the bridge of the Connecticut, giving 
orders to the fleet. Though he showed signs of suf¬ 
fering from old wounds, his indomitable energy was 
evident in every line of his small, slight figure, and 
his kindly blue eyes brightened with pleasure as he 
looked at the brave display of beautiful ships anchored 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


17 


about him. A welcoming smile lighted up his whole 
countenance as he spoke to some visiting friends; and 
one could not wonder at the admiration and affection 
that have made the name of Robley D. Evans a house¬ 
hold word in America. 

The two lads felt quite friendly after their talk of 
the day before, and often exchanged pleasant glances, 
even though they had not the time to stop to speak 
to each other. Promptness was the order of the day 
on Evans’s ship and there was little opportunity for 
idle chatter. 

Everything showed haste and effort to be in readi¬ 
ness for the long cruise, and the bay was a busy place. 
The swarms of bum-boats did a thriving business with 
a mixed stock of pies and doughnuts, pins and needles, 
cake, bread, jelly, pocket-knives, pens and paper, and 
the thousand and one little things so much needed and 
so seldom provided for in sailors’ outfits. The prices 
were exorbitant, and the few articles the boys bought 
made a sad hole in their spending money. Harry de¬ 
clared that the name of the boats was appropriate, con¬ 
sidering the quality of the stuff sold on them. 

The boys found many unexpected conveniences on 
board the ship. While some things in the British war¬ 
ships may be superior to ours, in everything pertaining 
to the comforts of living our ships are superior to all 
others. The average American is used to good living 
at home, and Uncle Sam provides generously for him 
when he is upon the briny deep. Our vessels have steam 
heat in every cabin and stateroom, and in all parts of 
the ship which the men frequent; there are arrange- 


18 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


ments for furnishing hot water, and a refrigerating 
plant to preserve the supply of provisions; also, 
there is a ship’s bakery, besides convenient arrange¬ 
ments for cooking the excellent meals which are fur¬ 
nished to the men. 

The sailors may have eggs, boiled potatoes, bread 
and butter, and coffee for breakfast one morning; and 
the next may find them enjoying sausages and johnny- 
cake. Uncle Sam believes that variety is the spice of 
life and makes out the bill of fare accordingly. For 
dinner there are roast beef, potatoes, corn, bread and 
butter, gingerbread and coffee, or something equiva¬ 
lent; for supper perhaps there will be fried pork chops, 
bread and butter, apple sauce and tea. 

The distinctions that pervade the various branches 
of the service are observed in serving the meals. The 
following information is taken from a recent account 
of arrangements on board the Connecticut, similar 
arrangements existing on all the vessels of the fleet. 
On the Connecticut, first comes the admiral’s mess, at 
which the chief commander sits in solitary state; sec¬ 
ond, the captain’s mess, at which Captain Osterhaus 
eats alone; third, the wardroom mess, known as the “jol¬ 
lification mess,” at which we find the commissioned offi¬ 
cers below the rank of captain, with their friends; 
fourth, the junior officers’ mess, for the midshipmen 
just from Annapolis; fifth, the chief petty officers’ 
mess, which includes those below the rank of midship¬ 
men; sixth, the warrant officers’ mess, for those who 
have risen from the ranks to minor commands; and 
seventh, the general mess for the common seamen. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


19 


The officers provide themselves with the best there 
is, in addition to the regular rations, and usually have 
a good colored cook, clubbing together to pay the extra 
expenses. They have cabins that are small but very 
comfortable and many think that life on the ocean 
wave is preferable to life on shore. 

SHORE LEAVE 

As sailing time was so near, shore leave was in a great 
measure suspended and it was more and more difficult 
for the crew to obtain permission to leave the ship. 
Both Jake and Harry were fortunate in having shore 
leave while in the vicinity of Norfolk, and they spent 
many interesting hours in viewing the sights of Chesa¬ 
peake Bay. They both remembered the stories of Cap¬ 
tain John Smith and the English settlers landed three 
hundred years ago; and the very name “Old Point 
Comfort” recalled the three small ships that brought 
the colonists to America and found comfort and safety 
in the refuge of its sheltered waters. 

Now the largest fort in the United States, Fortress 
Monroe, is situated on Old Point Comfort and as the 
boys looked at its massive walls they debated on the com¬ 
parative merits of service on land and on sea. They 
wandered about the irregular six-sided enclosure, cov¬ 
ering about eighty acres of land, which forms the pres¬ 
ent fortification; and their uniforms secured for them 
many favors from the guards. Surrounding the fort¬ 
ress is a wide moat filled with water, above which tower 
walls of granite, thirty-five feet high. 

They saw nothing of the mighty tribes which met 


20 • 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


Captain John Smith and the early settlers. In fact, 
they saw no Indians at all, except a few from the neigh¬ 
boring school at Hampton, where Indian boys and girls 
are taught the ways of civilization. The boys talked 
about Pocahontas and how the kind-hearted little Indian 
maiden had brought corn and fed the starving settlers; 
and they had a merry time picturing the waters of the 
bay dotted with Indian canoes instead of the warships 
and the various boats of the present day. 

They went by boat from Fortress Monroe to Ports¬ 
mouth to visit the United States Navy Yard, on the way 
passing over the scene of the famous fight between the 
Monitor and the Merrimac. 

Harry told his companion how on that fateful day 
in March, 1862, the Confederate ironclad Merrimac 
steamed out from Portsmouth to destroy the Union 
vessels assembled in Chesapeake Bay. She began by 
attacking the frigate Cumberland, which, like all the 
ships of our navy at that time, was a wooden boat and 
could not withstand the heavy iron ram of the Merri¬ 
mac; she sank with her flag at the masthead and carry¬ 
ing her brave tars down with her. After disabling 
another ship, the Merrimac steamed back to Norfolk, 
expecting an easy victory over the rest of the fleet on 
the following day. 

But that night the Monitor arrived in Hampton 
Roads and when the Merrimac reappeared the next 
morning, the little boat darted forth from her place 
beside one of the frigates and hurled two great shots at 
the monster. Then began the battle of the ironclads, 
the first of its kind in the history of the world. Five 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


21 


times the Merrimac attacked the Monitor, then steamed 
back to Norfolk, leaving the little boat unharmed, with 
the flag of our Union floating in the breeze. Both sides 
had done their best, but the fate of nations rests in the 
hands of God. 

The buildings of the Jamestown Exposition were 



THE OYSTER LANDING AT NORFOLK 


in view on the east as the boat steamed on across Hamp¬ 
ton Roads. This beautiful portion of Chesapeake Bay 
forms an outer harbor for Norfolk, Portsmouth and 
neighboring towns; and affords a safe .anchorage 
ground, comprising from forty to fifty square miles* 
large enough to hold all the navies of the world. It is in 
about the same latitude as the Mediterranean Sea, so 





22 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


even in December the breezes are balmy, and the boys 
greatly enjoyed being on the bay. Jake did think it 
funny that Hampton Roads should be nothing but 
water, but so they are, and very wet roads at that. 

These Northern boys looked with much interest at 
the beautiful city of Norfolk as they passed, and were 
surprised to learn that it obtained a charter in 1736 
and was quite an old town at the time of the American 
Revolution. 

Norfolk has the greatest lumber business in the 
South and the greatest winery east of California, and 
does a large business in coal, oysters, and livestock; but 
what Jake was most interested in hearing was that it 
is the greatest peanut market in the world—some 3,500,- 
000 bushels of peanuts being handled there each year. 
He wondered how many nickel bags of peanuts that 
would make, but gave up the problem as being beyond 
his powers of computation. 

On reaching Portsmouth the boys soon found their 
way to the navy yard. Here Jake was able to explain 
many things to Harry, for while on the training ship he 
had often been at the New York Navy Yard, so this 
seemed familiar ground to him. 

Everything was in readiness to equip or repair any¬ 
thing, from a dingey to a battleship, and busy men were 
at work on every side. As the boys rambled about, see¬ 
ing the many interesting sights, they grew quite confi¬ 
dential. ‘'How did you come to enlist in the navy, 
Jake?” asked Harry. The boy smiled and said, “Well, 
it was funny how it came about. One day, in New 
York, I was down by the river and saw a man limping 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


23 


along. A gust of wind blew off his hat and sent it 
whirling down the street. It was a pretty tough part 
of the town and a gang of fellows came round the 
corner and chased after the hat. As it rolled near me, 
I caught it and ran with it to the man, and after that 
I often saw him and we were good friends. He was a 
sailor and told me stories of the sea. He knew that my 
father and mother were dead and that selling papers 
wasn’t making me a millionaire like John D. One 
day he said, ‘Why do you run the streets and get into 
mischief? Why don’t you join Uncle Sam’s navy?’ 
He knew the ropes and got me into the training ship 
and after a little they sent me here. It seems too good 
to be true. I am so glad of a chance to be out on the 
blue water. How did you happen to start in for a trip 
on the ocean blue?” 

“Oh, we high-school boys wrote essays on our navy, 
and on John Paul Jones, and on the heroes of Manila 
and Santiago until we all wished to start for the ships. 
I had studied a little about electricity and, when I en¬ 
listed, they gave me a berth on board our ship. My 
father says it is an honor to serve my country and, if 
I improve my advantages, I can see a good deal of the 
world before we return.” 

The sinking sun warned them that it was time to 
embark, and it was not very long before they were once 
more aboard the Connecticut, tired but happy. The 
heart-to-heart talk which the two lads had had helped 
to make them firm friends during the long months of 
the cruise. 


24 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


THE DEPARTURE OF THE FLEET 

The sightseers gazed at the ships with pride, and they 
were ships to be proud of; American skill and American 
invention had done their best upon them. The Con¬ 
necticut was but one of many and as the people looked 
they saw clouds of black smoke pouring from the huge 
funnels, the mastheads rising above the turrets and 
great guns pointing seaward, ready for action. It was 
a majestic spectacle; though their pure white hulls and 
beautiful lines made one think more of doves of peace 
than of dogs of war, the vessels were ready for either 
role. As Admiral Evans, in one of his interviews with 
newspaper correspondents, said, “We are ready for a 
tight or a frolic.” 

In another interview the admiral gave utterance to 
the following characteristic words: “I hope that when 
we arrive at our destination the people will have for us, 
upon our arrival, a welcome as warm as is the god¬ 
speed which they give us on our departure; and that 
should our commander-in-chief then decide to send us 
on a mission of peace and good-will to the nations of 
the other hemisphere, the same warm interest will fol¬ 
low us there, in the future, as it always has in the past.” 
Peace and good-will seemed to be the keynote of the 
expedition, and officers and men were proud of the 
beautiful ships, which they regarded as harbingers of 
peace, not messengers of war. 

How quickly times change! A few years ago we 
thought the Oregon a wonderful ship, and she did 
great work in our time of need; but the new battle¬ 
ship Georgia is five times as effective as the Oregon. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


25 


The visiting fleet was armed with nine hundred and 
twenty-five guns of the latest modern style, and there 
were 2,250,000 pounds of explosives and projectiles on 
board of each of the sixteen battleships. There were 
35,000,000 pounds in the fleet, enough to blow all the 
navies of the world to atoms. The flagship Connecti¬ 
cut, which bore the blue flag of Rear-Admiral Robley 
D. Evans, cost $7,667,606, and was a veritable floating 
fortress. 

But the stores were not all warlike ones; Uncle Sam 
is a liberal uncle and over six million pounds of meat, 
fruits, cereals, and vegetables were safely stowed away 
in the holds of the ships; and to help the coming Christ¬ 
mas feast, which must be eaten far from home, fifteen 
thousand pounds of plum pudding and fifteen thousand 
pounds of candy were added to the ships’ stores. Sixty 
phonographs, three hundred sets of chessmen, four hun¬ 
dred sheets of the latest popular songs, and games of 
many kinds were provided; and it was planned to leave 
the great decks free every afternoon for athletic sports 
and other amusements. 

Modern conveniences of every kind were to be found 
on the battleships; even telephones, made possible by a 
recent invention in wireless telephony, had been pro¬ 
vided. In the emergency cabin of the Connecticut, 
where the wireless telephone was situated, Rear- 
Admiral Evans could communicate from his flag¬ 
ship with the commander of any vessel of the 
fleet, five or ten miles away. The United States navy 
was the first to adopt wireless telephones, and this was 
the first fleet on which they were put to practical use. 


26 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



COALING DAY FOR THE FLEET 

Under favorable conditions, messages have been sent 
twenty miles over these telephones, which promise to he 
specially valuable for use at night or in foggy weather. 

One morning as the boys were looking across the bay 
they saw a tug nearing them with loaded coal barges 
in its wake. As Norfolk is a great center of the coal 
trade, it is a good place at which to take on a supply of 
coal. Other tugs and barges followed and slowed up 
alongside the ships and the boys soon saw that it was 
coaling day for the fleet. Coaling is a hard, dirty, dis¬ 
agreeable job, but the men went at it with a will and 
in time the necessary supply of black diamonds was 
safely stowed away in the coal bunkers. All hands 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


27 


then joined in a great cleaning up, for the beautiful 
vessels must be kept spotless and ready for inspection. 

By this time the orderlies starting for the shore with 
the mail bags were quite a familiar sight, but letters 
grew more and more numerous as the sailing-day ap¬ 
proached and the orderlies were loaded with bags and 
parcels till they resembled letter carriers at Christmas 
time. The last two or three days before starting were 
given to sports and visiting and saying good-by to 
friends on shore. The destination of the fleet still 
remained a mystery and little jokes and jingles from 
the daily press caught the fancy of the men. One which 
pleased them immensely was entitled: 

A MYSTERY SOLVED 

“What is the Navy sailing for?” quoth I to Captain Binks. 

“I do not know,” the Sea Dog said, “but this is what I thinks— 
Bob Evans wants to teach the Japs the game of Tiddledywinks.” 

Other verses followed and the poem concluded thus: 

At last I asked the President, “Please tell me why you risk 
The Navy sailing round the Horn?” He answered short and 
brisk: 

“Because the sailing is so bad from Omaha to Frisk.” 

For three days rain and fog had done all they could 
to dull the bright spirits of the sailors, but on the event¬ 
ful day—December 16, 1907—gleams of sunshine 
breaking through the clouds shone on the glistening 
brasswork of the giant dogs of war and gave promise 
of bright days to come. 

Chesapeake Bay in the vicinity of the fleet was 


28 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC . 


crowded with small craft—dispatch boats busy with 
official matters, and pleasure boats carrying sightseers. 
At eight bells (8 a. m.) signals flew from ship to ship 
and energetic wigwagging began; then there instantly 
flew out on every ship, from masthead to masthead, the 
most beautiful display of signal flags of every color— 
red, yellow, blue, white, and green. The ships were 
in full-dress display to receive the President of the 
United States. The boys thought they had never seen 
anything so beautiful. 

Soon the lookout on the Connecticut gave warning 
that the Mayflower was approaching. With rapid 
steps the men on the various ships hastened to their 
places to man the sides, and stood to receive the Presi¬ 
dent who, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and 
Navy, was coming to say good-by. 

As the Mayflower, with a torpedo boat on each side, 
came up to the flagship, there was a burst of flame 
and smoke from the batteries of the latter. This was 
instantly followed by the national salute of twenty-one 
guns in honor of the President from every vessel in the 
fleet, while all the bands of all the ships played “The 
Star-Spangled Banner.” 

Jake thought a Fourth-of-July celebration was 
nothing compared to this and with great difficulty over¬ 
came an inclination to stand on his head, while he re¬ 
lieved his feelings somewhat by shouting with the 
others. All felt with almost inexpressible emotion that 
this was a great day, and that ours was a great country 
to live for and, if need be, to die for. 

The Mayflower dropped anchor in the midst of the 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


29 


fleet, while little launches darted from all the ships, 
bearing the commanders on a visit of respect to Presi¬ 
dent Roosevelt. First in rank came Rear-Admiral 
Fvans, who saluted the President and then presented 
the other officers of the fleet. With a few friendly 
words of good wishes and farewell the ceremony was 
over. ‘The boys could see the groups, as they stood 
talking on the deck, and watched President Roosevelt 
as he drew apart for a few grave, quiet words with the 
admiral. What were the last orders? No one could 
hear, but there was no fear of failure with Fighting 
Bob at the helm, and Harry remembered the story told, 
that when the President, knowing Admiral Evans was 
not well, asked him if he could take the fleet to the 
Pacific, and Evans replied, “Yes, if I have to take the 
ships over the Rocky Mountains.” This answer is char¬ 
acteristic of his whole life of indomitable energy and 
perseverance. 

Farewells over, the commanders returned to their 
ships. Then the Mayflower weighed anchor and started 
for the open sea. In a flash all signal flags came down; 
and the puffing engines, the rolling clouds of black 
smoke, the revolving wheels, and the shrill piping of 
the boatswains’ whistles, gave evidence of activity in 
every vessel. Pleasure for the time was over and stern 
duty had begun. 

The sixteen great ships massed under the com¬ 
mand of our veteran hero, Rear-Admiral Robley 
D. Evans, swung with precision into place and, 
passing the frowning ramparts of Fortress Mon¬ 
roe, began their journey to the Pacific. The warships 


30 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


moved in single column four hundred yards apart, from 
masthead to masthead, and as the last one passed out 
through the entrance of Chesapeake Bay, they formed 
a line over three miles in length along the horizon. No 
such massing of naval forces had ever been seen in 
American waters. More than fourteen thousand brave- 



THE BATTLE FLEET UNDER WAY 


hearted boys in blue manned the great vessels, ready 
to carry and to defend our flag around the world if 
necessary. 

For ten miles the Mayflower moved ahead of the 
battleships, then drew to one side, while the President 
stood on deck to review the fleet. Again the command¬ 
ers stood, hat in hand; again the men manned the sides. 




A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


31 


and again the batteries crashed in salute as each ship 
passed by. 

The last farewells had been said and faces grew 
grave as the men thought of what might be their fate 
and that of their ships before the long voyage was 
ended; but pride filled their hearts as they remembered 
that the eyes of the world were fixed upon their fleet, 
and that they had been chosen for this great under¬ 
taking. 


OUT ON THE ATLANTIC 

As the fleet moved on, the landlubbers began to feel 
the effects of the heavy rolling swells of the Atlantic. 
Their misery was a source of amusement to the well- 
seasoned seamen, but all got their sea legs in a short 
time and responded with alacrity to the pipe which 
summoned them to the messroom. 

Each order on shipboard is preceded by its special 
whistle or pipe; so the boatswain is an important man. 
The new hands soon learned to know what was coming 
when they heard the shrill piping sound. 

Even though Jake had gone through a short course 
on a training ship, he had some difficulty at first in find¬ 
ing his way about the great battleship with all the mod¬ 
ern improvements which was now his home; but the 
old sea dogs on board were pleasant fellows and they 
were glad to help newcomers and tell them all they could 
about the vessel. 

The boys soon saw that the ship’s hull appeared to 
be divided into what may be called six tiers or stories. 
The upper one was the main deck on which were the 


32 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



READY TO DEFEND THE FLAG 

lifeboats and miscellaneous nautical equipment, while 
forward and aft were placed the twelve-inch guns ready 
for action. .From the masthead floated the Union Jack, 
with its forty-six stars on a field of blue, while from 
the rear of the ship the Stars and Stripes fluttered gayly 
in the breeze. 

Below the main deck came the gun deck and through 
its many openings the dark muzzles of the broadside 
batteries pointed seaward, ready to defend the flag; 
while quarters for the admiral and the captain occupied 
the stern of the boat. * 

This was also called the berth deck. Perhaps the 
name makes one think of a Pullman car or an ocean 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


33 


steamer; but a berth, or billet, for a seaman, means the 
space assigned him in which to swing his hammock. 
Two hooks for each seaman are placed according to 
specifications and berthing-plans drawn up by the navy 
department, and each man has his own place on the 
ship. 

Though the seamen usually swing their hammocks 
on the gun deck, berth space is assigned in various 
parts of the ship. The officials try to have men of the 
different departments quartered near their work. Sea¬ 
men sleep on the gun deck in cold weather because it 
is warmer there and they are protected from the wind. 
When they are in the tropics, awnings are spread from 
the superstructure and various parts of the ship, and 
men are allowed to sleep under them in the open air, 
which is much more comfortable for them. Here on 
the gun deck was the jolly wardroom, with accommoda¬ 
tions for the junior officers, and in line with this, for¬ 
ward, was hammock space for the men. Jake was at 
home here, for this was where he slept and spent most 
of his time. Back of the hammock space quarters, 
called the “sick bay,” were fitted up for sick seamen. 
Under the hammock space was a great store of life- 
preservers. 

These three tiers, or floors, were above the water 
line; below it were three more. These were occupied, 
in the middle, by the great engines of the ship; while, 
for protection as well as convenience, the coal bunkers 
were arranged all around the engines and extended 
across the vessel. From the bottom of the hold, the 
engines rose the height of the three lower tiers; and sent 


34 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


out clouds of black smoke through three great smoke 
pipes. Ventilating tubes ran down into the hold, carry¬ 
ing fresh air to the men who worked below the water 
line. There was hard work to be done by the stokers, 
the coal shovelers and others down in the depths of 
the vessel. 

The rest of the hold was divided conveniently into 
storerooms for supplies and provisions needed for the 
ship. There were an ice-machine and a refrigerating 
plant on the vessel. The latter was not so large, of 
course, as that of a great packing house but, in its way, 
it was quite as complete; and in it hung quarters of 
mutton and beef and other perishable provisions, ready 
to be cooked and served to the men. No sailors in the 
world are fed and cared for as ours are. No wonder 
it costs one million dollars a year to run a modern 
battleship! 

There was a complete laundry equipment on board 
and even a printshop, where official communications 
were set up and printed. The powder magazines were 
in the hold also, and there were hoists for sending pow¬ 
der and shells to the gun deck and even to the fighting 
tops. There were water-tight doors which, when closed, 
divided the ship into water-tight compartments that 
would help to keep her afloat in case of accident or 
damage from an enemy; and over the keel extended the 
long shaft that turned the screws which propelled the 
great ship through the water. 

Jake also found that there was a machinist’s depart¬ 
ment for necessary repairs. This was a very useful part 
of the equipment; and so was the electrical department. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


35 


which is so important on the modern battleships; and 
still more he appreciated the bakery, which furnished 
fresh bread every day to officers and crew. 

But this was not all of the ship. Above the main 
deck rose two great masts; the foremast in front and 
the mainmast farther back, while between them were 
the three smokestacks. Extending around the foremast 
M-as a large platform, called the bridge deck, with a 
pilot house containing the apparatus for steering the 
ship. There was also an emergency cabin, where the 
commanding officer sat and directed the motions of the 
vessel. 

Higher up on the masts were two turrets or fighting 
tops with cannon; above these was a platform for the 
great searchlight; and still higher were two signal yards 
to display the signal flags of the international code and 
the speed cone, which orders the speed of the fleet, while 
far above them all, at the very top of the mast was a 
semaphore for signaling. There were so many orders 
to be given throughout the fleet that its various signal 
systems were of the utmost importance. 

The mainmast had similar fighting tops, searchlight 
and semaphore, and at night the red and white lights 
of the Ardois signal system shone far over the waters. 
There was no bridge on the mainmast, but the ship’s 
long pennant floated gracefully from its topmost point, 
while just below, the rear-admiral’s flag, of two white 
stars on a blue field, showed that this vessel was the 
flagship of the fleet. The strong turrets were hollow, 
having a ladder inside so that the gunners could climb 
up to the guns. The fighting tops were high up the 


36 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


masts and from them the men had a glorious view of 
the blue expanse of ocean. 

The majestic ships now changed their long line and 
the usual formation of the two squadrons into which 
they were divided was, for the journey on the deep sea, 
as follows: 



Virginia 


Kentucky 

Rhode Island 

Kearsarge 



New Jersey 


Illinois 

Georgia 

Louisiana 

Alabama 

Maine 

Vermont 

Kansas 

Missouri 

Ohio 

Connecticut 


Minnesota 



The sixteen battleships of the fleet were divided 
into four divisions of four ships each which were com¬ 
manded by Rear-Admirals Evans, Emory; Thomas, and 
Sperry respectively. These divisions were again com¬ 
bined, the first and second divisions forming the First 
Squadron, under command of Rear-Admiral Evans, 
who was also commander-in-chief of the fleet; and 
the third and fourth divisions, forming the Second 
Squadron, which was under command of Rear-Admiral 
Thomas. 

The squadrons were sixteen hundred yards apart 
and each boat was eight hundred yards behind the one 
preceding. Rear-Admiral Thomas of the Minnesota 
was second in command and ably assisted Rear-Admiral 
Evans, who required that these positions be kept. 
Any perceptible deviation from the prescribed course 
brought admonitory signals from the flagship. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


37 


Another beautiful formation was when the fleet 
was moving in lines of divisions in open order: 


1600 Yards 1600 Yards 1600 Yards 


Louisiana Virginia Maine 

Kansas Rhode Island Missouri 

Vermont New Jersey Ohio 

Connecticut Georgia Minnesota 


Kentucky 

Kearsarge 

Illinois 

Alabama 


Every morning Jake could see, through the port¬ 
hole, their companion ship the required sixteen hundred 
yards away. At half-past nine each morning there 
was a general inspection and muster of the seamen and,, 
looking across the blue waters, the boys could see on 
the decks of the other ships groups of sailors and offi¬ 
cers similar to those on the flagship. Discipline was 
much the same on all the vessels of the fleet. 

To the landsman’s eye a battleship is a battleship,, 
but to the sailors of the fleet there is just as much indi¬ 
viduality to the battleships as there is to their sweet¬ 
hearts. Five of the big boats—the Connecticut, the 
Kansas, the Vermont, the Louisiana, and the Minne¬ 
sota—look almost exactly alike, but to the sailors they 
are as different as different members of the same 
family. 

The Alabama and the Illinois are staid and growing 
elderly They are slightly out of fashion, too, as they 
carry two smoke funnels instead of three, like their 
more sprightly neighbors. The Kearsarge and the 
Kentucky are rather old-fashioned also, as they show 
by the small guns they carry amidships, but they make 
up for all these disadvantages, for report says they 


38 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


shoot straighter than the “big five/’ so there are com¬ 
pensations in everything. But all alike the big ships 
glistened in their dress of spotless white and were a 
beautiful sight as they ploughed through the blue 
waters. 

As the fleet sailed southward, the northern winter 
was forgotten and the days grew warmer and warmer. 
Overcoats disappeared and then the men were glad to 
exchange their heavy blue flannel clothing for white 
jumpers and trousers. To keep this white apparel spot¬ 
less is a problem, for while the officers have a laundry, 
the men have to wash for themselves. 

At daybreak one morning a long wail from the 
boatswain’s whistle announced the order, “Scrub and 
wash clothes.” This was the first chance the men had 
had to clean up, so there were many bundles of clothing, 
but those of the wary ones were small. Jake appeared 
with a white suit and some socks. 

The forecastle men brought out the ship’s hose, 
which was connected with the pump, and, wetting down 
the deck, began their work. Jake had learned how to 
wash, so spreading out his white jumper on the deck, 
he wet it thoroughly and rubbed it well with salt-water 
soap; then, taking a small, stiff brush, he scrubbed for 
dear life, up and down, till all the stains and dirt were 
gone. The new hands did not get the knack at first 
and some pretty grimy and streaked clothing rewarded 
their first efforts, but “practice makes perfect” and in 
due time they learned to equal a Chinese laundry. 
Everything has to be scrubbed on deck, from a pair of 
socks to a hammock, and as scrubbing is done every 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


39 


morning, if the Jackies are not clean, it is not from 
lack of opportunity. 

After the clothes were done, the men turned to and 
scrubbed everything in sight—decks, gratings, ladders, 
paint, etc.—until the ship looked as though she were in 
holiday attire. 

Saturday night is usually the sailors’ holiday, for 
then the hard work for the week is done. The first Sat¬ 
urday night at sea there was a grand celebration for the 
officers in the wardroom, while the sailors had a jollifica¬ 
tion on the deck below. Mac danced the hornpipe with 
all its flourishes in the finest nautical manner, the phono¬ 
graphs tuned up; and the men sang popular songs, end¬ 
ing with a grand chorus on “The Star-Spangled Ban¬ 
ner.” The merry time was all too quickly over, and 
with three cheers for the Red, White and Blue, ham¬ 
mocks were slung for the night’s repose. 

When the boys roused the next morning, they did 
not have to be reminded that it was Sunday. Some¬ 
thing in the air seemed to tell one that the Sabbath of 
the week had come. There was inspection by the offi¬ 
cers in the morning, and all appeared in Sunday clothes, 
neat and clean; afterward, a general order was read to 
the men on all the ships. It was a caution to behave 
well while on shore. 

To add to the solemnity of the day, in the afternoon 
there was a burial at sea. One of the sailors had died 
the night before. Just at sunset was heard the shrill 
wailing of the boatswain’s pipe, followed by the order, 
“All hands stand by to bury the dead.” At a signal 
from the flagship the other vessels of the fleet stopped 


40 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


their engines and, with flags at half-mast, waited until 
the burial should be over. 

Soon the men assembled on the gun deck and stood 
in quiet order. The body had been sewed into a ham¬ 
mock weighted with shot, for the resting place of the 
living sailor serves the dead both for coffin and shroud. 
The still form, covered with the American flag, lay 
near an open porthole, and a detachment of men stood 
near by, ready to lower it into the sea. 

The burial service seemed doubly impressive amid 
these solemn surroundings and at the words, “We com¬ 
mit this body to the deep,” the grating was gently 
raised, and the body of the dead seaman passed to its 
long rest beneath the waves of the deep-rolling sea. 
The burial over, the whistle sounded, “Pipe down,” and 
a salute was fired by a detachment of the marine guard. 
Then the crew dispersed to various parts of the ship. 

The solemn service had left its impress upon all on 
board and the necessary work went on in quieter vein. 
Harry’s thoughts turned from the pomp of the fleet 
to the power and might of the ocean about them, and 
some beautiful lines by Byron, which he had learned 
at high school, came into his mind. The words seemed 
a fitting accompaniment to the majestic sweep of the 
rolling billows: 

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 

There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 

There is society where none intrudes, 

By the deep sea, and music in its roar; 

I love not man the less but Nature more, 

From these our interviews, from which I steal 
From all I may be, or have been before, 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


41 


To mingle with the Universe, and feel 

What I can ne’er express, yet can not all conceal. 

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean—roll! 

Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain; 

Man marks the earth with ruin—his control 
Stops with the shore;—upon the watery plain 
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain 
A shadow of man’s ravage, save his own, 

When, for a moment, like a drop of rain, 

He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, 
Without a grave, unknell’d, uncoffin’d and unknown. 


THROUGH THE VIRGIN PASSAGE 

As the vessels were nearing Porto Rico, the Missouri 
signaled that she had a very sick sailor on board. The 
admiral quickly gave the order to make haste to San 
Juan and leave the man in the hospital there. Soon 
after this a signal was displayed by the Illinois to the 
effect that one of her crew was very ill with pneumonia. 
Evans took good care of his men, so the Illinois too 
was ordered to put her sick man ashore. 

The fleet took the Virgin Passage, to the eastward 
of Porto Rico into the Caribbean, and headed for Trini¬ 
dad. The Virgin Isles were discovered by Columbus 
in 1493, on his second voyage. There are some hundred 
small islands in the group, occupying a space about one 
hundred miles long by fifty miles wide. Some of them 
are merely sterile crags, while others are covered with 
tropical verdure. About fifty of them belong to Eng¬ 
land, the remainder to Spain and Denmark. These 
islands are small and their exports, consisting for the 


42 


WITH EYANS TO THE PACIFIC 


most part of sugar and cattle, are not very valuable, 
amounting to about $600,000 annually. The ships 
passed near enough for the sailors to see the waving 
palms, which in places grow close to the water’s edge, 
but no stops were made. 

As the fleet went through the Virgin Passage the 
Illinois and Missouri reappeared, having put the sick 
men on a government boat bound for San Juan. A 
wireless message was sent to New York, saying that 
all was well. It is no trouble to talk to the old folks 
at home nowadays, and Harry thought, as he listened 
to the click of the instrument, of the lonely days, weeks, 
and months the little caravels of Columbus had spent 
on these same waters, and he admired more than ever 
the undaunted courage of the great Genoese admiral 
and his unfaltering order to his little fleet, “Sail 
on, sail on.” 

The men of the fleet had by this time come to know 
one another pretty well and the congenial ones were 
forming fast friendships. A sea voyage soon shows 
men in their true colors. Those who are kind and 
friendly; those who are mean and quarrelsome; those 
who are reliable and industrious; those who are untrust¬ 
worthy and lazy—all show what they are before they 
are many days out at sea. The officers soon found that 
Harry and Jake belonged to the dependable class and 
could be relied upon to carry out orders promptly. The 
boys’ good records earned them many little privileges 
and they were always on the list entitled to shore leave. 
They read the good books which were for their use in 
the ship’s library and as they remembered what they 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


43 


read, and kept observant eyes on the sights and scenes 
of the journey, the cruise promised to be a great bene¬ 
fit to them both. 

Harry was sorry that they passed too far to the 
eastward to see the scene of the famous fight at San¬ 
tiago de Cuba; but the sailors were all talking about it 
and Mac and some others of the seamen had been 
present at the time; so, from one and another, the story 
came, with many particulars. 

It was in 1898, during the Spanish-American War, 
and a combined force of our army and navy was 
endeavoring to capture Santiago, in whose harbor Cer- 
vera, with a fleet of Spanish warships, had taken refuge. 
On the first of June Admiral Sampson began a strict 
blockade and preparations were made to sink the collier 
Merrimac in the entrance channel of the harbor in order 
to prevent the escape of the Spanish ships. 

This was the plan of Lieutenant Hobson and he 
was put in charge of the dangerous undertaking. Ad¬ 
miral Sampson signaled for volunteers to go on this 
service, of which the outcome seemed almost certain 
death. Evans replied, “My entire crew has volun¬ 
teered. How many men do you want?” and on the 
other boats the men were equally enthusiastic. When 
the answer came, “I want only one man from the Iowa,” 
it was pretty hard work to make a selection, but finally 
a young fellow named Murphy was chosen. 

The position of the Iowa was just off the entrance 
to the harbor and there she stayed till the blockade was 
over. The sailors could see gallant Hobson and his 
companions, when they sailed up the entrance on that 


44 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


fateful third of June. It was just before daybreak, 
when the Spaniards saw the boat coming, and guns 
began to flash from the Reina Mercedes and the bat¬ 
teries on shore. The whole scene was soon obscured by 
clouds of smoke, and Evans thought the end had come 
for brave Hobson and his gallant companions, but after 



IN THE WEST INDIES 


the smoke of battle had cleared away, daylight showed 
the mast and smokestack of the Merrimac rising above 
the water. 

Evans was now ordered to move in nearer, and pre¬ 
vent any attempts to remove the obstruction. He soon 
saw a white launch come down the channel, but was 
too far away to witness the surrender of Hobson and 





A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


45 


his men. Cervera himself was on the launch, and the 
American heroes were safe on a life raft. What good 
fortune it was that Evans did not open fire, for had 
he done so Hobson’s last chance would have been 
destroyed! 

In the afternoon Cervera did a thing worthy of a 
noble Spanish gentleman. He sent a boat, with a flag 
of truce, to tell the fleet that Hobson and the others 
were safe, though prisoners of war, and said he would 
be glad to give them their clothing or anything else 
from the fleet which would add to their comfort. Evans 
says, “There never was a more courteous thing done in 
time of war,” and in return Cervera found friends in 
his own time of need. 

The blockade grew stricter and stricter; finally 
orders were given to keep the searchlights on the chan¬ 
nel, and it was kept as bright as day, so that it was 
impossible for a boat to go in or out without being 
discovered. 

Our fleet was not expecting that Cervera would 
attempt to sail out; for they knew that that would be 
certain destruction to the Spanish ships. It was thought 
more probable that the Spaniards would destroy their 
vessels and attempt to fight their way, on land, through 
the lines of our army; but our men did not risk any 
chances and the Iowa and the rest of the fleet kept 
watch and ward, day and night, at the entrance of the 
bay. 

Finally, about sunset, on the second of July, col¬ 
umns of smoke were seen rising from the harbor; the 
surrounding hills shut the waters of the bay from sight. 


46 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


One of the officers sent for Evans and they talked mat¬ 
ters over and finally prepared the signal, “Enemy’s 
ships coming out,” and had it ready for use. 

About daylight on Sunday, the third of July, Cap¬ 
tain Evans had a pleasant surprise in the shape of a 
visit from his son, Frank, who had a short leave of 
absence from the Massachusetts to visit his father. It 
was a little later, when the men had just assembled for 
inspection in their clean white clothes, and Evans 
and his son were finishing breakfast, that the alarm for 
battle sounded on the vessel. 

A gun was immediately fired at the Spanish battle¬ 
ship which was now seen approaching, and the signal 
that was in readiness was hoisted, giving warning to the 
fleet. So the Iowa had the double honor of being the 
ship that fired the first gun in the battle and the one 
that gave the signal to the rest of the fleet. 

Admiral Cervera’s flagship, the Infanta Maria 
Teresa, was the first to come out of the harbor, closely 
followed by the Viscaya, the Cristobal Colon and the 
Almirante Oquendo. The two torpedo-destroyers, 
Furor and Pluton, followed them. They had received 
orders from Spain to leave the harbor. Admiral Cer- 
vera afterward said he had hoped that as it was Sunday 
morning he might find that the American fleet had not 
its steam up; but then, as now, our faithful men were 
ready for any emergency. 

The guns of the Iowa at once opened an effective 
fire, followed by those of the rest of the fleet. The fine 
marksmanship of our men wrought destruction on the 
Spanish vessels. In twenty minutes the destroyers 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


47 


Pluton and Furor were themselves destroyed. In less 
than two hours the destruction of the Spanish squadron 
was complete; our fleet had conquered with only a few 
trifling casualties. 

The Iowa ran toward the shore and, as she came 
abreast of the burning Spanish vessels, Evans saw that 
a white flag was waving from one of them, half ob¬ 
scured by flames and smoke. He was sure our ships 
did not see it or they would have ceased firing; so he 
rapidly hoisted the signal, “Enemy’s ships have sur¬ 
rendered.” 

At this time, the Colon was steaming rapidly west¬ 
ward, with the Oregon, Brooklyn, Texas, and New 
York in hot pursuit. All the rest of the Spanish fleet 
had met their doom and over six hundred of their brave 
officers and men had gone to their death. 

Having destroyed these great engines of war and 
seeing that the Colon could not escape, the Americans 
began the humane work of saving whaf was left of 
the Spanish crews. Our men were not deterred by fear 
of exploding magazines on the burning ships and res¬ 
cued many at great risk to their own lives. Some of 
the Cubans, disregarding the rules of civilized warfare, 
were lurking in the bushes on the shore, ready to mur¬ 
der the defenceless Spaniards, and it was necessary to 
take the captives on board our ships to preserve their 
lives. 

War is a horrible thing and when the small boats 
came back to the Iowa, bearing the dead and wounded, 
doubtless Captain Evans remembered the beach at Fort 
Fisher, where, years before, he had once lain for hours. 


48 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



PALMS OF THE INDIES 


sorely wounded. He had made every preparation to 
receive the sufferers, shot to pieces by our shells and 
covered with burns from the burning vessels. The poor 
victims were carefully hoisted over the sides of the ship 
and soon the beautiful white deck of the Iowa was 
stained with blood. 

The small Gloucester had the Spanish admiral with 
other prisoners on board. These they now transferred 
to the more roomy Iowa, whose men, just as they had 
come out of the fight, were massed to receive them. 
Evans says, “As the brave old admiral came over the 
side—scantily clad, without shirt or hat, yet an admiral, 
every inch of him—the American officers saluted, the 
men presented arms and the buglers sounded the salute 










A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


49 


for an officer of his rank' As he bowed and extended 
his hand to me, my men burst into cheers. ,, They were 
cheers for a gallant enemy, who had fought a losing 
tight against heavy odds. 

The old admiral had his young son with him and 
their meeting with Captain Eulate of the ill-fated Vis- 
caya and the few survivors was pathetic indeed, for 
they loved their country just as we love ours. Cervera 
then went to see all of the prisoners and had a few 
words of kindness and encouragement for each of them. 
Our sailors remembered how kind he had been to Hob¬ 
son and his companions and they gave the Spaniards 
food and clothing and kind care till they were sent to 
the United States on the Saint Louis. 

The official report from Evans pays this beautiful 
tribute to his men: “The officers and men of this ship 
behaved admirably. No set of men could have done 
more gallant service. I cannot express my admiration 
for my magnificent crew. So long as the enemy showed 
his flag they fought like American seamen, but when 
the flag came down they were as gentle and tender as 
American women.” The same things might have been 
said of every American crew in the action. 

The victory was complete; the last hope of Spain 
was over; and the American army was soon in peaceful 
possession of Santiago de Cuba. What a Fourth-of- 
July celebration the sailors had next day! And how 
the hearts of their countrymen rejoiced over their glori¬ 
ous victory! 

The crew of the Connecticut were greatly interested 
in hearing every little incident of the fight that any one 


50 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


could remember, and all that they heard of their gallant 
commander increased their love and respect for him. 

New York gave the ships a great welcome when 
they returned from Cuba and the city was gay with 
flags and lights in honor of the victors. The officers and 
crew of the Iowa presented a beautiful sword to Evans 
and it is one of his proudest possessions. The accom¬ 
panying letter said in part, “The men of the battleship 
Iowa will ever cherish the memory of their beloved 
commander. . . . And with this sword w r e send 

our wishes for your health and happiness always. It is 
an assurance from us that you are more than a hero 
to a nation—you are a hero to your men.” 

Sampson, Schley, Evans, Clarke, Phillips, and Hob¬ 
son, with hundreds of others less known, added fresh 
laurels to the glories of our navy during the Cuban 
campaign, while Dewey and his brave men did their 
share in the Orient to uphold the honor of our country. 

The blue weaves of the Caribbean Sea came with a 
soft swish against the sides of the vessels and the meu 
could scarcely realize that there had been such awful 
carnage and slaughter not far from where they w^ere 
sailing over the summer sea. But times have changed 
and we are at peace with all the world. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


51 


TRINIDAD 

All on board the battleships were now watching* 
eagerly for signs of land. The books on board had 
all been read and reread; and the little jokes and stories 
which at first had seemed so funny by this time were 
twice and thrice told tales. No one off ship can realize 
what a welcome break shore leave is after the monotony 
of a long voyage; but with each mile land was nearer, 
and each day brought our voyagers nearer to the Christ¬ 
mas holiday, so,—full of good spirits and pleasant anti¬ 
cipations—they followed in the wake of Columbus. 

The fleet was now approaching land and, when the 
flagship signaled to take the colliers alongside that 
evening and be ready to coal at daybreak next day, the 
crew all knew there was hard work before them. 

We may imagine the squadrons bowling along 
eleven knots an hour; and that means hard work for 
the stokers in the furnace rooms, who really, have far 
more daily discomfort than the men behind the guns, 
though the latter seem to get most of the honor and 
glory. The big furnaces appear to devour the coal 
which the brawny-armed men shovel into them all day 
long. That is why the coaling of a great fleet is so 
difficult and why coaling stations are so important to 
us, now that we have a great navy to provide for, with 
ships all over the world. 

But, while the men were busy in the furnace room 
and about the ship, the officers were not idle in their 
quarters, either. The exact position of each vessel had 
to be reported to Admiral Evans every day at noon and 
again at eight bells in the evening, and additional 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 




reports had to be made to each captain at eight bells 
in the morning and tbe afternoon. The modern elec¬ 
trical equipment, which adds so much to the convenience 
and efficiency of the ships, also entailed extra work. 

But there were plans for pleasure, as well as for 
work, and for days challenges had been flashing from 



slii|> to .ship for rowing matches and ball games for the 
fleet championship. I o Jake, baseball games seemed a 
queer sort of Christmas morning celebration. 

Soon the lookout gave the welcome cry of “Land 
Mo! and the shores of r l rinidad came into view, the 
island looking very inviting in its mantle of tropical 











A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


53 

verdure. The ships entered the Gulf of Paria through 
the Dragon’s Mouth, as its northern entrance was 
named by Columbus, who discovered the island of Trini¬ 
dad on his third voyage, in 1408. The southern en¬ 
trance, through which he made his way into the gulf, 
he called the Serpent’s Mouth. Here the great Ori¬ 
noco pours its waters through many outlets into the 
Atlantic and the turbulent waves filled the hearts of 
those on the three small ships of the Spanish discov¬ 
erers with extreme alarm. But neither serpents’ mouths 
nor dragons’ mouths could dismay our great fleet, which 
sailed proudly to its anchorage, opposite the capital city, 
Port-au-Spain. The big ships were obliged to anchor 
several miles from the shore, the harbor being too shal¬ 
low to admit of their approaching nearer. 

Our two boys tried to imagine how the island had 
looked to the thoughtful-eyed navigator as he sailed 
through these unknown, enchanted seas. As Irving 
tells us, “On the 81st of July there was not above one 
cask of water remaining in each ship, when about mid¬ 
day, a mariner at the masthead beheld the summits of 
three mountains rising above the horizon and gave the 
joyful cry of ‘Land!’ As the ships drew nearer it was 
seen that these mountains were united at the base. Co¬ 
lumbus had determined to give the first land he should 
.behold the name of the Trinity. The appearance of these 
three mountains, united into one, struck him as a singu¬ 
lar coincidence and, with a solemn feeling of devotion, 
he gave the island the name of Trinidad, which it bears 
at the present day.”* 


♦Irvin li’H C'oiumfjus, Book X, Ch. I., from Hut. del Almirante, Cap. 67. 



54 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


The crew of his ship landed on a low, sandy jioint 
and, not daring to venture into the interior, obtained 
fresh drinking-water by sinking casks in the wet sand. 
From the great heat experienced on the ocean Colum¬ 
bus had expected to -find a desert region, but on the 
contrary he found the country covered with luxuriant 
verdure; and the inhabitants, who seemed friendly, were 
not black like Africans, but belonged to that race of 
fierce Indians whom the Spaniards called Caribs, or 
man-eaters, and who have given their name to the 
Caribbean Sea. 

They were a well-formed race, tall in stature, with 
an abundance of smooth black hair, and were much 
fairer than the tribes on the mainland. Many had col¬ 
lars and ornaments of gold round their necks and they 
had such quantities of pearls that the cupidity of the 
Spaniards was awakened. When asked where the gold 
came from they pointed to the mainland. Unable to 
remain long at this delightful island, Columbus passed 
out northward through the Dragon’s Mouth, narrowly 
escaping shipwreck. 

Since that time, many daring navigators have sailed 
its rough waters. Sir Walter Raleigh made his way to 
Trinidad, sent by King James to find the golden treas¬ 
ure of the southland and, failing, was beheaded on his 
return. And in 1805 Lord Nelson, in his famous ship , 
the Victory, sailed through the Gulf of Paria, pursuing 
the French fleet to the victory and death which came to 
him at glorious Trafalgar. Our fleet followed in the 
wake of famous men, but no stouter hearts ever beat 
than those who now wear the blue of Uncle Sam. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


55 



A NATIVE HOME IN TRINIDAD 

Our ships received a quiet, friendly greeting, but 
did not greatly impress the people of Trinidad, who 
had had a visit from the giant British Dreadnaught 
a few days before. All were glad to welcome the 
Americans and much was done to make the visit a 
pleasant one. 

Shore leave was given to as many as could be spared,, 
for Admiral Evans, believing that one of the greatest 
benefits of the long cruise was the opportunity it gave 
the men to see the w T orld, arranged to send as many as 
possible ashore in squads of four thousand at a time. 
Embarking and disembarking such large parties was 
good practice for the fleet. All the men were carefully 
examined to see if they had been properly vaccinated. 



56 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


for the officers did not intend to run any unnecessary 
risks of illness on shipboard. 

The coaling now began and the men worked hard 
and earned their Christmas holiday; but they did not 
grumble, for they knew there would be feasting and 
fun on the morrow. 

Christmas morning found the Americans ready to 
celebrate the merry day, and it was truly a green 
Christmas instead of the white, snowy Christmas of 
home. The thermometer was 85° in the shade and 
the sailors found the open trolley cars of Port-au-Spain 
pleasant to ride in. The party ashore had a fine time 
and had much to tell on their return. 

Festivities on board all the boats were the order of 
the day. Rear-Admiral Thomas, of the second squad¬ 
ron, gave a reception on board his flagship; then all 
gathered for the Christmas banquets on their own ships. 

The cooks had spread the various mess-tables with 
Christmas dainties and the fifteen thousand pounds of 
plum pudding assisted greatly in the Christmas feast. 
Harry and Jake had been busy with the other boys in 
trimming up for the great day and had wound the 
electroliers with gold and silver paper, so everything 
was glittering with tinsel if not with ice and snow. 

The little Christmas trees brought with them from 
the States were decorated with real colored candles and 
placed in position on the tables, and presents and 
Christmas greetings were exchanged, with many 
thoughts of the dear ones at home; then, when the merry 
evening was over all sought rest, for hard work lay 
before them on the morrow. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


57 


Next morning coaling continued and another party 
took their turn in going ashore. The last call for the 
mail sounded and the men hastened forward with hands 
full of the postal cards they had bought on the island 
and the Christmas wishes they had written so far from 
home. Harry and Jake were among the fortunate 
ones this time. On landing they found specimens of 
many nations, black and white, rich and poor; for Trini¬ 
dad is very cosmopolitan. 

This island is nearly square, about fifty-five miles 
long by forty broad. Since 1797, it has belonged to 
Great Britain, though the name of its capital, Port-au- 
Spain, tells of its colonization by the Spaniards and its 
occupation later by the French. 

Its products are for the most part sugar, cocoa, mo¬ 
lasses and rum. The soil is fertile and well watered, 
and timber is abundant; but since the emancipation of 
the slaves, the difficulty of procuring labor has inter¬ 
fered w r ith the prosperity of the island. 

Port-au-Spain could scarcely be seen from the 
ships, built as it is on a low plain, embowered in tropical 
verdure. It has many churches and public buildings 
and the busy streets of its business section boast of fine 
arcades and mercantile establishments, while a noble 
statue of Columbus stands in the public square. 

Many of our sailors had never before been in a 
tropical country and they were greatly impressed by 
the beautiful residence streets with their avenues of 
stately palms, and after a stroll through the town, they 
were glad to take refuge from the heat in the shady 
parks and botanical gardens. 


58 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


They where specially interested in the fruit-stands. 
Of course, lemons, oranges, pineapples, bananas, and 
cocoanuts were old friends to Jake, but he had never 
seen the fresh figs and dates, the mangoes, pomegran- 

ates, guavas, 
custard apples, 
m angosteens, 
breadfruit, and 
many other 
luscious fr u i t s 
which grow to 
perfection in 
this tropical 
land. The gar¬ 
dens were filled 
with flowers of 
every hue; 
high mountain 
ranges rose in 
the background, 
and tall sugar¬ 
cane and waving 
palms gave a touch of strangeness to the beauty of the 
scenery. 

The Americans saw none of the aborigines, who 
were numerous in the time of Columbus. The cruel 
treatment they received at the hand of the Spaniards 
soon reduced their number, until now there are only a 
few survivors and those are mainly of mixed descent. 
Eut the parrots of brilliant plumage still abound and 
these so delighted the seamen that they purchased two 



A COOLIE HUT 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


59 


and carried them back to their ship to add to their col¬ 
lection of pets. 

To labor on the plantations and do the other work 
of the island, the white people of Trinidad were com¬ 
pelled to procure coolies from India; so now we find 
the East Indians working for the West Indians. 
There are about eighty thousand of these coolies now 
in Trinidad, forming one third of the population; and 
they are taking the place of the negroes, who are dimin¬ 
ishing in number. 

The sailors were interested to see these strangers 
from the Orient, who live, dress and work much as they 
do at home in India. Some of the women are very 
beautiful. 

Most people know Trinidad best from the asphalt 
we have all seen, with which we pave our city streets. 
This nearly all comes from the lake of liquid pitch 
which is in the western part of the island. It is reached 
by a small steamboat running from Port-au-Spain, and 
on arriving at the spot the traveler sees the gray, bar¬ 
ren surface, seamed and cracked and wrinkled from 
heat and pressure. This is the famous asphalt deposit 
and it appears to be practically inexhaustible, for as 
fast as it is removed from the surface, a fresh supply 
seems to be forced up from the volcanic depths below. 

This so-called lake is one of the wonders of the 
world. It covers a circular area of nearly one hundred 
acres and it has been estimated that it contains 4,500,000 
tons of asphalt, so we probably shall have enough to 
pave our streets for some time to come. 

Sir Walter Raleigh, who first introduced the potato 


60 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


and, more doubtful benefit, made the tobacco plant 
known, in Europe, appears to be the one who first put 
this asphalt to practical use. The seams of his vessel 
opened from the heat and, the stock of pitch which he 
had brought from Europe having given out, he softened 
with grease some lumps of this mineral pitch or asphalt 
which he had found on the shores of Trinidad and used 
it to stop the leaking cracks. He gave an account of 
it on his return. This asphalt is now in the hands of 
the Barber Asphalt Company and for their rights they 
pay each year enough to defray all the expenses of the 
government of the island. 

Sir Walter Raleigh had not come to Trinidad for 
asphalt, but he was attracted, as the Spaniards had been, 
by the fabled tales of El Dorado. The Indians told 
stories of a wonderful lake with golden sands, on whose 
shore stood the city of Manoa, with untold wealth of 
gold. Here lived their king, El Dorado, the golden 
one. The greedy search for gold which followed 
brought misery and death to both white man and 
Indian; to Sir Walter as well as to many a humbler 
adventurer; while the real treasure, the pitch lake of 
asphaltum, lay unheeded in their grasp. 

In the eastern part of the island is a wonderful 
mud volcano. The surface of a large tract of ground 
is covered with little cones of steaming mud about two 
feet high. The explosions of escaping gases frighten 
the superstitious negroes in the vicinity. They say, 
“Debbil, Debbil there. Too much bobbery,” and will 
not be induced to visit the spot after dark. Scientists 
think there is some connection between the pitch lake 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


61 


in the western part and the mud lake in the eastern 
part of the island. 

When the shore party returned to their vessels they 
were tired with all the new sights they had seen. They 
found the coaling was over, for, in spite of the tropical 
weather, the men had worked with a will and soon the 
great fleet was ready for departure. Moving in beau¬ 
tiful order, they sailed through the turbulent Dragon’s 
Mouth and were soon out on the open sea. The longest 
single stretch of the cruise lay before them, for they 
were not to stop again till they cast anchor at Rio de 
Janeiro. 


A NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION 

The fleet moved in single file, led by the flagship Con¬ 
necticut. The sailors were glad to be out on the blue 
ocean again and the ships steamed merrily on their way. 
The men were kept busy, for, besides the usual work of 
the ships, there were frequent gun drills for the marines 
and sword drills for the sailors. Everything had to be 
kept neat and trim and the men were required to open 
their kits for regular inspection. On pleasant mornings 
the bedding was not stowed away, but was lashed to 
the rails in the sunshine, and this kept all dampness from 
the sleepers. 

Soon another holiday came round, and the monotony 
of sea life was again broken on New Year’s Eve. When 
midnight came eight bells were rung for the new year 
and eight more for the old, then pandemonium seemed 
to have broken loose and the men gave the new year 
a rousing welcome. 


62 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



A VILLAGE ON THE ORINOCO RIVER 

Seizing all the band instruments, and with horns, 
bells, tin pans and iron spoons, and in fact everything 
that could make a noise, they marched up and down 
the decks, shouting and singing snatches of their favor¬ 
ite songs till every one was tired out. Then, their fun 
over, they sought their hammocks once more, and quiet 
reigned. 

Since leaving Trinidad, the fleet had been sailing 
steadily southward and many signs told the men that 
they were now nearing the equator. The lingering 
northern twilight had disappeared and almost instant 
darkness followed the setting of the sun; daybreak 
came and the sun rose with a suddenness that was 
startling and poured the full glory of his beams upon 








A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


63 


the scene; the skies appeared bluer and soft breezes 
seemed to tell that they came from tropical climes. 

All seemed peaceful and harmonious, but danger 
was impending for the unwary. The day before the 
fleet crossed the line—it w r as a bright sunny day and 
the ships w^ere bowling along at the rate of ten knots 
an hour—all of a sudden the sailors heard a loud cry, 
“Ship ahoy!” They looked up and saw a small boat 
with a red flag flying. 

The officer on the bridge gave a signal to slacken 
speed and answered the call, “Ahoy!” A funny-looking 
old salt jumped out of the boat and clambered 
up the side and went directly to the bridge, where 
he greeted the captain and they shook hands, as 
though they had met before. It was Neptune’s mes¬ 
senger and taking the mail from the bag which he 
carried, he gave it to the captain to give to the crev r . 
Then he disappeared most mysteriously. 

The ship started up again and the mail was deliv¬ 
ered to those who had never before crossed the equator. 
It was a summons which said, “This is my letter, warn¬ 
ing you to appear before Neptune’s Court, when it 
comes on board.” All understood that this summons 
must be obeyed, and, as the boys say, when morning 
came “there was something doing.” 

A little nonsense now and then 
Is relished by the wisest men, 

and crossing the line—in other v r ords, crossing the 
equator—is a great event in the sailor’s world. The 
origin of the queer custom is not known, but Neptune’s 
appearance, when the ship crosses the equator, has the 


64 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


sanction of such long usage that no one dreams of dis¬ 
puting his sway. 

The old sailors prepared to initiate the landlubbers 
and long before the eventful day old salts might have 
been seen by the watchful ones in various secluded 
places, doing mysterious things with green and yellow 
calico; others were picking oakum from rope ends to 
make wigs, and great preparations were made to get 
up costumes worthy of the seagod and his court. 

In the night a large tank had been prepared on deck 
and beside it three rough chairs were placed for the use 
of the barbers who were to give the customary shave to 
the newcomers. 

At the appointed time, Neptune appeared, bearing 
his trident, and accompanied by his queen, Amphitrite, 
clad in a robe of flowing green and yellow calico, with 
streaming tresses made of rope ends, while a numerous 
retinue of grotesque and frightful-looking creatures 
added to the imposing scene. 

The barbers sported hoary beards and wigs made of 
oakum and wore elaborate robes of divers colors. They 
flourished wooden razors made from boards three feet 
long, and their solemn looks were enough to dismay 
the stoutest hearts, but the worst was yet to come. 

Neptune issued his orders and, as each unwary vic¬ 
tim was seized and placed in the chair of state, a spring 
in the seat sent him flying, head over heels, into the 
tank, which was half filled with dirty water, mixed with 
machine grease and lamp-black. Here other attendants 
of Neptune scrubbed him and filled mouth, nose, and 
ears with the greasy suds. Spluttering and struggling. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


65 


the initiated one gained the deck and made way for new 
victims. 

Jake had just settled himself behind a gun and 
was enjoying the woes of his neighbors, when they spied 
him and seized him for the next effort. He reached 
the bottom of the tank with a turn that would have done 
credit to any stage, and, slippery with soap, gave a 
wriggle and twist that soon landed him on the deck, 
safe from his tormentors. 

The fun was fast and furious, and rough but not 
ill-natured. The whole day was given up to sport and 
frolic, and evening shades found private parties in vari¬ 
ous secluded nooks trying to clean up after the dire 
doings in “Neptune’s Tank for Newcomers.” But the 
worst was over. All the sailors were now old salts and 
free to cross any line on Neptune’s watery domain. 

Soon after this Jake had his first experience of a 
real tropical rain. The showers of the north were noth¬ 
ing to it. The water fell in torrents and the air was so 
filled with the downpour that fog whistles had to be 
sounded all the while it lasted. The men could neither 
see nor hear through the falling raindrops. 

That night the fleet had a great excitement. At five 
bells in the mid-watch, when those not on watch were 
sleeping most soundly, they were all roused by the deep 
boom of a gun from the Missouri. 

The men jumped from their hammocks, not half 
awake, and the officers rushed from their cabins to see 
what could be the matter. Some of the young mid¬ 
shipmen in their excitement believed that war with the 
Japs had broken out, and that, at last, they should see 


PC 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


active service; but their dreams were shattered, for 
almost instantly the electric lights turned on the signal 
for “Man overboard!” 

The engines of the entire fleet stopped, searchlights 
were turned on the water, and for nearly an hour they 
searched and watched, but nothing could be seen. 
Finally it was found that a man, sleeping on deck near 
an opening, had rolled into some rain water; dreaming 
that he had fallen overboard, he had screamed out in his 
sleep, “Man overboard!” The cry was heard all over 
the deck, the alarm was sounded, and the fleet stopped. 
All had a good laugh when the truth was discovered. 
They were sorry to have lost the time, but glad that the 
sailor was safe on board; and that what might have 
been a sad mishap was only a dream. 

The vessels were now nearly opposite the mouth of 
the Amazon, the greatest river in the world, though not 
the longest. The Amazon drains over two million 
square miles of territory. It carries down such vast 
quantities of silt that the blue ocean looks muddy for 
a long distance from its mouths. 

The great estuary at the mouth of the Amazon is 
one hundred and eighty miles across. Vessels can 
travel over ten thousand miles on its waterways and in 
time this great river system, reaching from the Atlan¬ 
tic to the foot of the Andes, seems destined to bear the 
commerce of a great continent upon its mighty bosom. 

It flows through vast fertile regions, at present 
inhabited chiefly by wild tribes of wandering Indians. 
On its banks grow great trees, and bright flowers and 
birds of brilliant plumage abound. This region is the 


A STORY 0£ THE BATTLE FLEET 


67 


home of the gigantic Victoria Regia, of wonderful 
orchids, and of moths and butterflies some of which 
measure twelve inches across the wings. 

The trees on each side of the river are matted to¬ 
gether with clinging vines, forming a network so thick 
that it is almost impossible to walk through the forest 
without an axe with which to cut a path. These rough 
paths usually go from one rubber tree to another; for 
gathering rubber is one of the great industries of the 
country, and thejubber from the valley of the Amazon 
is the best in the world. 

There are rough shacks in the little clearings, but 
these are few and far between and are inhabited chiefly 
by rubber-gatherers and their families. Their little 
boats lie drawn up on the banks of the stream, for the 
river is their great roadway. 

Para, at the mouth of the Amazon, and Manaos, on 
the Rio Negro, one thousand miles inland, are two great 
ports for the export of rubber. 

Cacao trees grow to perfection in this fertile valley 
and in places the river bank is lined with them for 
miles. From the seeds of these trees fine chocolate is 
made and the shells of the seeds are used for cocoa. All 
the products of the tropics grow luxuriantly in this 
region and there seems to be no limit to the future 
development of this portion of Brazil. 

Many of the sailors wished they could see this 
mighty river, of which they had heard so much, but 
they were too far from land. Some of the more ob¬ 
servant ones thought they could distinguish the yel¬ 
lowish discoloration which comes from its muddy 


68 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


waters, and possibly they were right, for it is claimed 
that this discoloration has been noticed six hundred miles 
from the shore. 


ON THE WAY TO RIO 

As the days rolled on, the men seemed to have entered 
a new world and when night came the heavens them¬ 
selves appeared unfamiliar. Even Jack Tar’s old 
friends the North Star and the Big and Little Dipper 
had deserted them, and the Southern Cross was blazing 
before them in the sky. 

Mile after mile brought the ships steadily nearer to 
their goal, and the days were busy with work and drill. 
The reveille bugle call sounded at half-past five each 
morning; then the sleepers jumped from their ham¬ 
mocks, cleared up the sleeping-space, and in fifteen busy 
minutes were ready for their early cup of coffee; then 
they hastened to the deck, where the usual work of 
scrubbing awaited them. 

Many hands make light work, so there were really 
no very heavy tasks for any one man and, helping one 
another, they soon had the ships in fine order. Of 
course, they were sailing over a summer sea and splash¬ 
ing in the water was good sport in that warm climate. 
In wintry weather and in icy seas it would not have 
been quite so pleasant. 

At half-past seven there was an excellent breakfast 
ready for them, after which they donned the uniform 
for the day, as ordered. At half-past eight, the sick call 
was sounded, when all seamen not well had to report 
to the doctor, then ship and men were ready for inspec- 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


69 


tion. At general quarters” the officer in charge of 
each division inspected his men, reported upon their 
neatness, and took the names of the absentees. On 
Sunday morning the captain and chief executive offi¬ 
cer took part in this inspection. Then followed two 
hours devoted to drill. The principal drills were: 


Great gun drill 
Infantry and light artillery 
Boats, under oars or sails 
Signals 

Collision and abandon ship 


Fire quarters 
General quarters 
Clear ships for action 
Coaling ship 


Every fifteen minutes there was a short rest, and 
the drills were not given all at once, but were changed 
every day for the sake of variety. 

In the gun drill the men went through all the mo¬ 
tions of loading, aiming, and firing the great guns and 
they made great efforts to do all in the shortest time 
possible. In the infantry drill they went through the 
regular manual at arms, for on land sailors frequently 
have to perform the duties of soldiers, so a knowledge 
of the use of the rifle is quite necessary. 

Sometimes the order would be given, “Away all 
boats,” then there was a general competition in the fleet 
to see which ship could make the best time in getting 
its boats, with full crews and the necessary arms, am¬ 
munition, food, etc., into the water. The results were 
announced from the flagship and were a source of great 
pride to the successful competitors. 

When the collision drill was ordered all the water¬ 
tight doors in the hold must be closed in the shortest 


70 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


time possible and the collision mat placed over the ship’s 
side to cover the imaginary hole. The sailors told a 
good story about Admiral Evans in connection with 
this. 

He was sent to Germany in command of the fine 
new armored cruiser New York for the opening of 
the Kiel Canal, and became good friends with Prince 
Henry of the German navy and his brother, Emperor 
William. The emperor was dining with Admiral 
Evans, who was captain then, and after dinner he 
expressed a desire to see the ship and particularly the 
engine-room. It was one o’clock in the morning by that 
time and, as the ship was in a friendly port, the crew 
w r ere asleep and the furnace fires were banked down 
for the night. 

The emperor seemed greatly interested and looked 
into every hole and corner; then he asked Evans how 
long it would take him to close all the water-tight doors. 
Evans told him that in the daytime it would take thirty 
seconds, but at night perhaps it would take two minutes. 
The emperor asked if Evans would mind doing it then . 

Of course Evans could not well refuse the request 
of such a guest, but when he tried to blow the signal 
to close the doors, there was not steam enough to make 
a sound. 

Emperor William thought he had a good joke on 
Evans and said, “Now, you see, captain, you can’t 
close your bulkheads.” But Evans was ready, as usual, 
and saying, “You will see in a moment, sir,”* touched 
the button which gave the signal for the general alarm. 

Obeying the call, “All hands to quarters,” the men. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


71 


came swarming from every part of the ship, and Evans 
gave the order to close the water-tight doors. The 
emperor took out his watch and timed the men himself, 
and in one minute and a half all the compartments were 
closed and the entire ship was ready for action. 

When they went aft, where every one could hear 
him, Emperor William said with a smile, “Captain 



THIRD DIVISION SIX-INCH GUNS CREWS 


Courtesy of Bureau of Navigation 

Evans, I cannot imagine that a ship could possibly be 
in better condition.” And in the World War this same 
Emperor William found out that when the signal was 
given for the American navy to land men and supplies 
in Europe this navy was ready for action and equal to 
the emergency. 

The men soon became proficient in the fire drill, 
which had its own particular signal, when all water- 





72 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


tight doors and the hatches were closed and streams of 
water were turned upon the imaginary flames. 

“General quarters” called every man on the ship to 
take his assigned position for fighting, and “clearing the 
ship for action” consisted in clearing the upper decks 
of extra rigging and everything not required during a 
naval engagement. While this was being done, the 
ship’s boats were lowered into the water. 

From ten minutes to twelve till one o’clock was the 
noon hour, with a good dinner and rest for the men. 
From half-past one to three o’clock came another period 
of instruction. The officers gave short talks to the 
men upon various subjects and they practised sighting 
and firing the great guns. 

After this, except twenty minutes for light calis¬ 
thenics, the sailors had the time to themselves till half- 
past five, when supper was served. Then hammocks 
were swung and in times of peace the men were at lib¬ 
erty until nine o’clock, when, unless there was permis¬ 
sion for some special festivity, concert or minstrel show, 
the. men not on watch retired for the night. 

There were no regular drills on Wednesday and 
Saturday afternoons and this gave additional leisure 
time to the seaman; and after inspection by the captain 
and divine worship on Sunday the men had a quiet 
Sabbath morning. 

This is the general routine on an American man-, 
of-war, though of course it may be changed, when other 
duties, or severe cold in the North or extreme heat in 
the South makes a different program desirable. 

Good care is taken of the men in every way, and 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


73 


if it is found that an undesirable person has enlisted, 
he soon receives his discharge, while increased pay and 
promotion to higher rank are the reward of those who 
are diligent and ambitious. Jake was pleased to hear 
that his record was so good that he was soon to be ad¬ 
vanced. Harry, from being third-class electrician, was 
promoted to the second class; and he resolved that if 
hard work and study could accomplish it he would 
soon be in the first class. ? 

Besides the honor and glory, the pecuniary rewards 
of the navy are also worthy of consideration. If a man 
serves twenty years, he may retire on half pay, while 
thirty years’ service entitles him to three fourths of his 
pay as a pension. Wartime counts double time on the 
record. Though the lowest rank of common seamen 
receives only $21.00 per month at the time of enlist¬ 
ment, the increases are so rapid that a man who enlists 
at the age of eighteen, if he saves only half his pay 
and invests it in the ship’s bank, or some similar institu¬ 
tion, at the expiration of thirty years’ service will have 
over $30,000, and this, capital, with his pension, will 
give him a good living for the rest of his days. In 
case of his death while in the service his family may 
apply to the United States Pension Department. 

Good care and medical attendance are provided for 
the men, and our nation shows every desire to deal liber¬ 
ally with its brave defenders. 

Jake and two or three of the other boys of his 
age were sitting on the deck one night and watching 
the big boats sailing over the silvery sea, when they saw 
Harry Willis approaching. The fame of his stories 


74 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


had spread among Jake’s friends and they hoped he 
would have a little time to tell them one that evening, 
so quite a circle gathered around him. 

“What kind of a boy was Admiral Evans?” asked 
Jake, whose imagination had been fired by the accounts 
of the glorious victory at Santiago de Cuba. 

Then Harry settled himself down on a coil of rope, 
and told the boys the story of the boyhood days of 
their brave commander; and it was a true story, for he 
had read most of it in the admiral’s own book. 

Rear-Admiral Evans was born in the mountains 
of Virginia, August 18, 1846. His father died when 
the boy was about ten years old, and his good mother 
moved to .Fairfax, Virginia, so that he could attend 
school. After a while he was sent to Washington to 
live with an uncle and go to school there. 

He was fond of visiting the Capitol and seeing all 
the celebrated people, and there he made friends with 
the Congressman from Utah. Evans had never seen 
salt water, but in some way he had formed a great 
desire to go to sea. Mr. Hooper told the lad that if 
he would go to Salt Lake City to live for a short time, 
he would appoint him to the Naval Academy at An¬ 
napolis as cadet from Utah. At this time Evans was 
only about twelve years old, but in four days he was 
ready to start on the long journey across the plains. 

All the young boy’s worldly possessions were con¬ 
tained in an old-fashioned traveling bag. His money, 
in gold, was sewed in a belt and buckled round his waist 
under his clothing, and he had bis ticket to St. Joseph, 
Missouri. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


75 


Everything went well till he reached Davis, a small 
town near his destination, where, as it was before the 
days of Pullman cars, the passengers were to spend 
the night. Giving his bag to the hotel clerk, young 
Evans retired to rest. In the morning he found that 
his key would not unlock the bag which was given 
him; and upon further investigation it was discovered 
that his bag had been taken by an old gentlemen who 
had gone east on the train at two o’clock in the morning. 
Upon being opened, the bag was found to contain a 
gentleman’s full outfit. Among the articles of clothing 
there were half a dozen beautiful, fine, ruffled white 
linen shirts, any one of which would have made two or 
three garments for the small boy. The plight of the 
forlorn little traveler interested the hotel guests and the 
contents of the bag were soon auctioned off for a sum 
more than sufficient to replace what had been lost. IIow' 
disgusted the old gentleman on the eastbound train 
must have been when he opened his traveling outfit! 

Evans had to make the long journey to Salt Lake 
City alone, but friends in St. Joseph met him, and 
helped him find a place with a party of five, bound for 
California. Wagons were bought and stocked with pro¬ 
visions, blankets and all that was needed for the trip 
across the plains, including rifles and ammunition, for 
traveling was difficult and dangerous in those early days. 

Evans rode a large gray Mexican mule, which he 
afterward said could out-kick and out-bite anything 
he had ever seen. It was well he had learned to ride 
in his early home in the Virginia mountains, for the 
gray mule was a difficult animal to manage. 


76 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


Crossing the prairies, there was work for all to do, 
and the young boy was assigned to assist the cook in 
preparing meals, but he was excused from keeping 
watch at night. 

Passing through the Kickapoo Indian country, the 
party headed for the South Platte River and were soon 
among the buffalo, for in those days, great herds of 
these animals covered the plains. At one time the trav¬ 
elers drove for three days through a herd of buffalo 
without reaching the end of it. 

They passed many emigrant trains in the Platte 
valley. Sometimes there were as many as fifty wagons 
in one party, all loaded with men and their families, 
the pioneer settlers of our great West. A strict watch 
had to be kept at night, for marauding bands of Indians 
were on the lookout for something to steal, especially 
horses. 

The emigrants stopped in the buffalo country to 
secure a supply of meat. The canvas covers of the 
prairie schooners, as the big wagons used for prairie 
travel w r ere called, were removed and strips of meat 
were hung on the ribs of the framework to dry. This 
meat, called jerked meat, was soon dried and would 
last till the travelers reached the Pacific coast. 

The little party crossed the Platte about one hun¬ 
dred miles east of Pike’s Peak, which few persons at that 
time had ever ascended; then they struck off toward 
Fort Laramie. Evans, being a little boy, could sleep 
in the wagon at night, though when they were not in 
the rattlesnake country, he sometimes wTapped himself 
in his blanket and curled up under the wagon. The 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


77 


travelers rose at daybreak and soon the simple meal of 
coffee, bread and bacon, or game, was ready and they 
gathered round the camp fire to share it. 

At Fort Laramie they bought a fresh stock of sup¬ 
plies, and it was two days after leaving this post that 
they had their first serious trouble. In trying to cross 
a little stream the first wagon stuck in a swampy place. 
Not being able to drag it out, the party decided to wait 
till morning, and see what could be done by daylight; 
but when morning broke they found themselves sur¬ 
rounded by hostile Indians. 

Soon rifle shots were flying fast and the fight lasted 
for ten or twelve hours. The Indians burned the 
wagons after taking what they wished of the stores, 
but the party saved their horses and rifles and were 
very glad to get off with their lives. This was young 
Evans’s first experience of real fighting. 

They made their way back to Fort Laramie, bought 
a new outfit and proceeded to try again. After that, 
they had frequent Indian skirmishes. Once, near Fort 
Bridger, they were caught in an ambush by a band of 
Blackfeet. Fortunately these Indians had no guns, 
but their arrows did much mischief. One of them 
struck young Evans in the left ankle, went through 
his rawhide stirrup and into a rib of the mule he rode. 

It was a difficult matter to get him off the saddle, 
for the poor mule kicked and struggled whenever they 
tried to come near him. Finally they lassoed the ani¬ 
mal’s hind legs and had to saw the arrow between the 
stirrup and the mule’s side before they were able to 
release the boy. Fortunately the wound was made by 


78 


WITH EYANS TO THE PACIFIC 


a hunting arrow and his ankle soon healed. Other ex¬ 
citing days followed, but the party finally reached Fort 
Bridger in safety. They were kindly received and 
remained there several days to rest and prepare for the 
long trip before them. 

There was a fine trout stream near the fort and 
young Evans watched the Indians catching fish. The 
Indian fisherman had a short stick to which was fas¬ 
tened a copper wire with a loop at the lower end. The 
Indian would watch his chance to slip the loop over 
the head of a fish, swimming by; then with a jerk would 
throw it out of the water, upon the bank of the stream. 
Such fishing as that must have required great skill and 
patience. 

After leaving Fort Bridger the party made its way 
to Robinson’s ferry on the Green River. This trading- 
place was kept by a man who traded in furs and kept 
supplies for the Indians and emigrants who crossed at 
the ferry. 

Our travelers put their horses and the mule in an en¬ 
closure near the storehouse, where they thought they 
would be safe. Soon a troop of Bannock Indians rode 
up and offered to swap horses. One of the party went 
with them to show the animals, but when the enclosure 
was opened the Indians gave a frightful yell that 
startled the horses and away they all went, down the 
bank of the stream. 

The loss of their horses and the delay it caused the 
party was a serious matter and the travelers were 
greatly rejoiced two days afterward to see the friendly 
chief Washakie appear. Hearing of the trouble, he 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


79 


volunteered to go in pursuit of the thievish Bannocks 
and, gathering up a band of his warriors, he started off. 

At the end of four days he came back with a drove 
of horses and told the white men to take what were 
theirs. Of course there had to be a grand celebration 
of the victory, Indian fashion, and during the pow-wow 
Washakie came up and, taking his powder measure 
from his belt and filling it with whiskey, said, “Little 
Breeches, drink that.” This showed that even the rough 
Indian knew it was not right to give the boy more than 
a thimbleful of liquor. 

But the fire-water of the white man made trouble 
among the Indians. Little Breeches, as they called him 
on the plains, had rolled himself up and gone to sleep 
under a wagon, when he was seized and thrown on an 
Indian pony by a son of the good chief Washakie. The 
hoy rolled off the pony and ran for his life to the store¬ 
house. 

The Indian, who had been drinking, followed and 
said he wished to take Little Breeches home with him, 
and would do him no harm. The white men persuaded 
him to wait till morning and talk things over. .Then 
Washakie himself came and said that they would bring 
the boy back in ten days. 

Washakie was a fine-looking chief, straight, and 
over six feet tall. He had always been a friend to the 
w T hites, and the boy’s party said he would have to go 
with them. The Indians gave young Evans a fine time. 
They had a camp of a thousand people and the boy en¬ 
joyed the hunting and fishing and the Indian sports. 
The Indian boys invited him to take part in their 


<so 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


wrestling matches and he could generally throw them, 
but could not hold them down. They could easily 
wriggle out from under him on account of their greasy 
skins. 

Washakie taught him to shoot like the Indians, with 
bows and arrows, and to use the lasso. The chief also 
had his favorite squaw make a complete Indian suit for 
the little boy and we may imagine how proud young 
Evans felt all trimmed up with beads and feathers. 

One day they camped near a river where willows 
grew in great profusion. Taking his knife, young 
Evans cut a twig and made a whistle. When he walked 
up to the warriors and blew a piercing* blast they scat¬ 
tered in confusion, but seeing what it was they were 
greatly delighted and they kept the boy busy for the 
next few days making whistles. Not only the Indian 
children, but squaws and warriors too, were soon march¬ 
ing up and down through the camp, solemnly tooting 
on willow whistles. 

Evans was so little and so brave that he soon won 
the big chief’s heart. Washakie wished to keep him 
and said he would make a great warrior of him; but the 
white boy longed for life on the deep blue sea, and 
though he enjoyed the ten days with his Indian friends, 
he could not give up his own people. 

At the appointed time, faithful to their promise, the 
Indians took the boy back to the ferry. Washakie 
gave him presents of bows and arrows, and bead- 
trimmed clothing, then said good-by and left him with 
the white men. 

Evans’s party w^ere still at the ferry and they were 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 8i 

glad to see him safe again, for they had thought he 
would never return. The travelers had passed the 
dangerous Indian country now and the rest of the 
journey was uneventful. They crossed the Rocky 
Mountains through the South Pass, and found great 
herds of elk roaming over the country, while mountain 
sheep were numerous. 

This open-air life was a new experience to the city 
hoy and it helped to make him strong to endure the 
burdens of later years. The dangers of the trip were 
now over and in due time the party reached Salt Lake 
City, which seemed very beautiful to the weary trav¬ 
elers. 

The boy found Mr. and Mrs. Hooper glad to see 
him and he made his home with them till he received his 
appointment to Annapolis, and it was time to return 
to the East. He came back by the stage coach and had 
a safer, if duller, trip. 

Crossing the Missouri River, he was soon on board 
the train for Washington, which he reached in August. 
He was ready to enter Annapolis in September, the first 
naval cadet appointed from Utah. 

Young Evans passed his entrance examinations at 
Annapolis on September 15, 1860, and was assigned as 
acting-midshipman on the frigate Constitution, Old 
Ironsides, on the twelfth of the same month. The 
young midshipman made a good record in his studies 
and remained a student in the naval academy until the 
breaking out of the Civil War, when he was assigned 
to active service in the navy. 

The listeners were delighted when they heard that 


82 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


their beloved commander had begun his sea life on the 
renowned Constitution, and Jake, who had learned them 
at the settlement, recited the stirring lines which have 
made the name Old Ironsides so familiar to us all: — 

OLD IRONSIDES 

Aye, tear her tattered ensign down! 

Long has it waved on high, 

And many an eye has danced to see 
That banner in the sky; 

Beneath it rang the battle shout, 

And burst the cannon’s roar;— 

The meteor of the ocean air 
Shall sweep the clouds no more. 

Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood, 

Where knelt the vanquished foe, 

When winds were hurrying o’er the flood-. 

And waves were white below, 

No more shall feel the victor’s tread, 

Or know the conquered knee; 

The harpies of the shore shall pluck 
The eagle of the sea! 

O better that her shattered hulk 
Should sink beneath the wave; 

Her thunders shook the mighty deep, 

And there should be her grave; 

Nail to the mast her holy flag, 

Set every threadbare sail, 

And give her to the god of storms, 

The lightning and the gale! 


—O. W. Holmes. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


85 


RIO JANEIRO 

After leaving Trinidad, the vessels were nearly three 
weeks in reaching Rio Janeiro. Sailing down the cost* 
the sailors came to have a clearer idea of the great size 
of Brazil. As they met the many vessels loaded with 
the products of its fertile soil, they began to realize that, 
though now in its infancy, this republic is destined to 
be one of the great commercial countries of the world. 

Brazil is great in extent and great in undeveloped 
resources. Its area exceeds that of the United States, 
exclusive of our insular possessions, and nearly equals 
that of Europe. 

We often think of South America as Spanish, but 
we may think of Brazil as Portuguese. Those of its 
eighteen millions of inhabitants who use the white man’s 
tongue speak the Portuguese language, and for many 
years its emperor was a member of the Portuguese 
royal family. In 1887 Brazil became a republic. 

Its chief executive, President Penna, is pre-emi¬ 
nently a man of peace—a role quite unique in South 
America, where revolutions and insurrections seem to 
be the order of the day. He has never dipped his hands 
in blood. He was for many years a teacher of political 
economy in a Brazilian university. He is a man of fine 
education and his studies have given him broad views, 
which are shown in the development of the country 
under his administration. The people know him to be 
tried and true, and having served four years as vice- 
president, in 1906 he was elected president for the four 
following years. 

As the Atlantic Fleet neared Rio, the vessels ap- 


84 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


proached an opening which looked like the mouth of a 
river, but, sailing in, they found themselves in what 
seemed to be a beautiful landlocked sea. 

As the ships entered they hoisted banners and fired 
a national salute of twenty-one guns to the flag of 

Brazil, which 
was instantly 
answered by the 
batteries of the 
bay. The Amer¬ 
ican ships took 
with great pre¬ 
cision the posi¬ 
tions assigned 
them and, an¬ 
swering the sig- 
nal from the 
Connecticut, the 
sixteen anchors 
sank as one to 
the bottom o f 
the bay, the 
“chug, chug!” 
of the machinery 
ceased; the revolving wheels stopped; and a heavy 
weight of labor and responsibility rolled from the 
shoulders of both officers and men. One third of the 
long cruise was over and all were glad to be safe in 
harbor again. 

As the sailors looked about them they were struck 
by the fantastic shapes of the surrounding hills. Some 



RIO JANEIRO AND HARBOR 







A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 85 

of these seemed to form the outlines of a sleeping 
human figure; one was almost the exact shape of an 
old-fashioned sugar loaf; while in places the gigantic 
granite rocks, piled up in strange confusion, resembled 
ancient fortresses. 

The great basin of water on which the fleet floated 
was somewhat pear-shaped. It was some thirty miles 
long by twenty broad, and five mountain ranges, com¬ 
ing down to the shore, formed a magnificent back¬ 
ground to the beautiful scene. Batteries and forts 
occupied many of the islands at the entrance and the 
rounds fired in salutation to our fleet woke the echoes 
of the bay. 

This beautiful sheet of water was first visited by I)e 
Solis in 1515, and it would have been well for him if he 
had gone no farther; for a little later, when he reached 
the mouth of the La Plata, he went on shore and was 
killed and devoured by savages, before the eyes of his 
shipmates on the vessel, who were powerless to aid him. 

Magellan visited the bay in 1519. The Indians 
called it Nictheroy, meaning “Hidden Water,” a 
name which the Brazilians have given to one of their 
vessels. It was afterward called Rio de Janeiro, or 
January River, because it was named on the first day 
of the new year. Later explorations revealed that it 
was not a river but a beautiful bay, where the navies 
of the world might ride in safety, sheltered from storms 
by the background of forest-covered mountains. 

The sailors were surprised to see so few Brazilian 
warships, but Brazil could make no great naval dis¬ 
play, for she has been a peaceful power, and her fleet 


86 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


consists principally of gunboats and dispatch-boats, 
suitable for use on her great rivers, and torpedo boats 
for harbor defense. 

Brazil has heretofore made no pretensions to being 
a naval power, but recent developments indicate that 
she intends to take her place in naval affairs as well as 
in other matters. It is stated on good authority that 
she has placed orders for twenty-nine battleships and 
cruisers, and that three of the battleships are to be 
larger than any of our present fleet. They are to be 
of the type of the British Dreadnaught and they will 
exceed the strength of any other naval force in South 
American waters. Brazil extends over a great extent 
of country with diversified interests, and perhaps a navy 
that they can all be proud of will prove a source of 
common interest and help to unify the people. 

The bum-boats were busy from the time the fleet 
entered the harbor and, in addition to the usual supplies, 
every variety of tropical fruit was temptingly offered 
to the sailors. The venders spoke Portuguese, but busi¬ 
ness principles were the same as on the bum-boats at 
Hampton Roads, the policy being to give as little as 
possible, and get as much as possible for it. Lan¬ 
guages may differ, but human nature is much the same 
the world over. Poor Jack is fair game when he touches 
land. 

The Brazilians gave our men a warm welcome and 
there was the usual round of receptions, dinners, ban¬ 
quets and balls. Shore leave was arranged for the sail¬ 
ors and Jake and Harry, as first-class liberty men, went 
ashore with the first party. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


87 



When Harry and Jake landed they found that the 
Y. M. C. A. was busy in Rio as elsewhere, and had 
thoughtfully provided many things for the comfort 
of the sailors. In one building a place had been ar¬ 
ranged where our men could exchange their money for 
the Brazilian 
currency; for 
though our fleet 
may pass around 
the world our 
money does not, 
unless we pay a 
heavy discount. 

Then there was 
a rest building 
with a bureau of 
information and 
writing-rooms, 
where pens, ink, 
and paper were 
furnished and 
where stamps, 
postal cards, and 
so forth might 

be obtained and letters mailed to friends at home. 
Admiral Evans always exercised fatherly care over 
his men and he had been wondering how they would get 
on when they landed, for scarcely one of them could 
speak a word of Portuguese; but the Y. M. C. A. had 
provided for that contingency also, and had English- 
speaking guides ready to conduct parties about the town 


STATELY PALMS OF RIO 









ss 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


and to show them all that was best worth seeing in Rio 
Janeiro. 

The city of Rio Janeiro lies on the western shore 
of the bay, and its dingy old quarter, dating from the 
sixteenth century, is in strong contrast to the modern 
portions of the town. The march of progress goes on 
at a rapid pace in Rio Janeiro and its civic improve¬ 
ments are extensive and important. New dockage 
facilities are in course of construction which are to cost 
some seventy million dollars. Central avenues, one hun¬ 
dred and twenty-five feet wide, have been cut through 
the old portion of the city. These have been planned to 
resemble the Avenue de 1’Opera in Paris. The new 
public buildings are to be erected on the principal ave¬ 
nue and as Harry with his friend wandered along he 
was reminded of the exposition at St. Louis, for the 
new municipal palace is a reproduction of the beautiful 
Brazilian Building at that world’s fair. The streets of 
the city were filled with well-dressed, busy people; and 
in the business sections crowds of jolly-looking negroes 
were carrying bags and bales of merchandise. The 
colored people here are slaves no longer, for Brazil has 
given them their freedom. 

The residence streets and avenues of Rio Janeiro 
are made attractive by rows of royal palms which seem 
to attain perfection in the favoring soil here. Their 
beautiful round silvery trunks rise like stately columns, 
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, 
and end in an arching canopy of feathery, fernlike 
leaves. On one broad avenue, four rows of these 
stately palms extend for over a mile, and there is 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


89 


another fine avenue of them in the beautiful botanical 
gardens. 

The boys were struck by the sight of the piles of 
coffee on the wharves and in the warehouses. For a 
time it seemed as though all they could smell and all 
they could see was coffee. There was coffee in bags 
and coffee in heaps; coffee clean and coffee unclean; 
but always coffee. The boys found it easy to believe 
the statement that over five million bags of this fra¬ 
grant berry are handled each year at Santos and Rio 
Janeiro. We may regard the latter city as the real 
center of the coffee trade, for though great quantities 
are shipped from Santos, it is Rio that gives its name 
to the coffee and furnishes money for most of the ven¬ 
tures. It is not all Rio coffee, however, that comes from 
Rio. The finest berries are sorted, polished, and colored, 
and then sold as rare Mocha and Java. 

The people in charge of all this coffee have to keep 
a sharp watch, for there is great loss from theft. The 
watchmen have to look under the wharves as well as 
on them; for thieves make their way in boats to a spot 
above which the piles of coffee lie and bore a hole 
through the planks; then they put a pipe up into the 
bags, and down comes the coffee into the boats. Even 
among those who carry the bags there are dishonest 
ones who have various tricks for stealing. One of these 
is to make a break in the bags and let some of the coffee 
fall into their shirt sleeves, whence, as they raise their 
arms, it rolls down to their waists. They sometimes 
manage to secrete quite a quantity ; but honesty is the 
best policy, in Brazil as in other places, for the owners 


90 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


employ detectives and guards and sooner or later the 
thieves are caught and severely punished. 

Some of the great coffee plantations extend for 
miles and one of them has over six million coffee trees. 
The various processes of cultivating the trees, gather¬ 
ing the berries, and preparing the crop for market, 
furnish employment to thousands of people. 

In 1904 Brazil exported 1,600,000,000 pounds of 
coffee and last year she sent to the United States alone 
778,559,591 pounds, valued at $57,559,591. Jake 
thought how many coffee cups that would fill for break¬ 
fast and realized that there was good reason on both 
sides for the friendly feelings between the two nations. 
The boys had heard Hawaii called the sugar-bowl of the 
Pacific and they thought Brazil well deserved the name 
of the great coffee-pot of the world. 

When the sailors “hit the beach,” as they expressed 
it, they had been on their own feet so long on ship¬ 
board that they were all anxious to ride. Horses, 
mules, and even donkeys were pressed into service and 
the people gathered round to see the fun, for Jack 
Tars are not usually good riders. One man was quite 
a surprise to the crowd. As he mounted a spirited nag, 
they thought he would be sent sprawling on the sand; 
but he had been a cowboy on the plains and the horse 
soon found that he had met his master. The people 
had been waiting to enjoy the sailor’s discomfiture, but 
they broke into cheers when they saw his feats of horse¬ 
manship. 

As the boys climbed the hills behind the town, they 
had a fine view of the magnificent bay and could see 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


91 


their fleet swinging at anchor. How beautiful the 
great white ships looked, floating on the blue waters! 
The docks were lined with foreign vessels; for the 
products of the vast herds of cattle which roam over the 
plains and of the immense plantations of coffee, cotton, 
sugar-cane, and tobacco fill many ships and are sent all 
over the world. 

Farther over on the hills they could see the house 
of the American legation. It was a beautiful villa, 
built in Brazilian style of stone and stucco, with a fine 
portico upheld by Doric columns. It was only one 
story high, but had many rooms and was lighted by 
electricity, so the American minister had at least one. 
of the comforts of home. 

Brazil is not only rich in agricultural products, but 
also a country of great mineral wealth. There are valu¬ 
able deposits of gold, silver, iron, and copper; and dia¬ 
monds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and topazes are also 
found. The boys had seen many fine jewelry estab¬ 
lishments as they came through the city. 

Harry and Jake passed many beautiful country resi¬ 
dences on their way up the hillside, and looking through 
the open gate of one of them they saw a little black- 
eyed girl playing with her brother. She pointed her 
finger at the ships in the bay and then, laughing and 
calling out, “Americanos!” she threw something toward 
them. It was not a stone, however, but some delicious 
fresh figs from the trees in the garden. The boys said, 
Thank you,” and enjoyed them greatly, as they did 
the other fruits which grow so abundantly in that 
favored spot. 


92 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



They soon had 
a chance to try 
some more, for a 
Brazilian cart 
came by loaded 
with fruit for 
market. The boys 
held up some of 
the little copper 
coins called reis, 
and managed to 
make the man 
understand what 
they wanted. 

He sold them 
all the fruit they 
could eat. With 
delicious oranges 
they quenched IN THE B0TANICAL GARDENS 0F RIG 

their thirst. 

When evening came the parties returned to the ships 
and had great tales to tell of what they had seen. The 
men all knew Brazil as “the place where the nuts come 
from , 55 and they now had a chance to see the nuts in 
their native clime. The sailors brought back the usual 
stock of postal cards and many home friends were made 
happy by receiving greetings and views from the beau¬ 
tiful bay of Rio Janeiro. 

The visit to Rio was greatly enjoyed and all were 
sorry to say good-by to their hospitable entertainers. 
On the day set for the review of our fleet by the Presi- 





A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


93 


dent of Brazil there was a violent storm. It was a 
scene of wild grandeur, when the firing of the artillery 
and the crashing of the salutes were answered by the 
flashing lightning and the rolling thunder, which 
echoed and re-echoed from the heights of the surround¬ 
ing mountains. 

The ships—looking like great phantoms, half ob¬ 
scured by the ocean mist—as they passed out of the 
bay fired a national salute in honor of President Penna. 
They received in return a farewell salute from the bat¬ 
teries of Fort Villegagnon. 

One day, as the battleships sailed southward, the 
wireless apparatus began to show signs of life and soon 
came a message from officials of the Argentine Repub¬ 
lic, expressing regret that the Americans could not pay 
them a visit, and saying they were sending six of their 
ships to a certain place to visit the fleet. Our ships, how¬ 
ever, had made such good time that they were then a 
hundred miles beyond the place assigned for the meet¬ 
ing. 

Then the Argentines sent another message. In re¬ 
turn Admiral Evans gave them the latitude and longi¬ 
tude of the fleet and made an appointment for the next 
day. Harry learned this from the telegraph operator, 
so he and Jake were on the lookout for strange vessels. 

Our ships prepared to receive the visitors and the 
Atlantic Fleet, stretched out in column formation for 
nearly four miles and led by the flagship Connecticut, 
made a fine display on the blue waters. The six ships 
of the Argentine navy appeared and rapidly ap¬ 
proached our column. .Flags waved, bands played, and 


94 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


the two fleets steamed along within three hundred yards 
of each other. 

Then the admiral of the Argentines came on the 
deck of his flagship and gave a salute of fifteen guns 
to Admiral Evans. Fifteen guns is the salute given 
to a vice-admiral, and though Evans had not yet receiv¬ 
ed that rank, there was not one of his men who did not 
feel their veteran commander richly deserved it. 

In response to the fluttering signals from our flag¬ 
ship, our great cannon boomed in a salute of fifteen 
guns to the admiral from Argentina. 

“Two fleets like these,” one of the officers remarked r 
“have never met before in peaceful greeting on these 
seas.” Then the great guns boomed again in the na¬ 
tional salute of twenty-one guns for the two sister 
republics. 

The Argentine admiral asked if there were any 
message he could carry ashore to send to the United 
States. Admiral Evans gave him one and the two fleets 
parted. 

Harry and Jake were sorry our fleet could not stop 
to visit the Argentine Republic, for they would have 
liked to see Buenos Ayres, the beautiful city on the 
La Plata. They ransacked the ship’s library for books 
and read with great interest all they could find about 
Argentina. 

The first Europeans who visited the country were 
Spaniards, who were in search of a southwest passage 
to India. They were led by De Solis, who, going 
ashore, was killed and devoured by the ferocious natives. 
This was in 1515. Later the country was visited by 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


95 


Magellan, and in 1527 Sebastian Cabot anchored off 
the site of the present city of Buenos Ayres. He ex¬ 
plored the great river and named it La Plata, or silver 



THE MOLE AT BUENOS AYRES 


river, on account of the great number of silver orna¬ 
ments worn by the natives. 

The Rio de la Plata, which separates Uruguay from 
the Argentine Republic, is over one hundred miles wide 
at its mouth, and, with its great tributary, the Parana, 
it furnishes inland navigation for over twelve hundred 
miles into the fertile interior. 

Argentina was colonized by Spain and, after many 
vicissitudes, became an independent republic. It covers 






96 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


an area of 1,135,840 square miles; so it is about one- 
third the size of our country exclusive of Alaska and 
our insular possessions. The best soil of Argentina is 
found along the rivers and in it the fruits and products 
of the temperate zone grow in perfection. 

The fertile plains of Argentina have become one 
of the great wheatfields of the world. Its last crop 
was 155,993,000 bushels, which was sold at a good 
profit. Its virgin soil will yield still greater quantities 
when the full area is properly cultivated. 

To Harry and Jake it seemed strange that the Ar¬ 
gentine farmers sow their seed when we are reaping our 
harvests; and that, when our farmers are ploughing the 
fields, theirs are sending the sacks of golden grain to 
market; but so it is. Seasons are reversed in the lands 
which lie south of the equator. 

The farmers of Argentina have many things to 
contend with in raising their great crops of wheat. 
Perhaps the worst of these is the plague of locusts, 
which often comes just when the crops look most prom¬ 
ising. Millions of these insects fly in swarms which 
darken the sky and, devouring every green sprig in 
sight, leave desolation and ruin behind them. 

We can scarcely believe that these little creatures 
which look something like grasshoppers could stop rail¬ 
way trains, but they have actually done so in Argentina. 
The swarm settles down, covering the tracks, the cars 
crush them, the rails become slippery and slimy, and 
the wheels spin round and round without moving 
onward. 

The farmers fight for their lives. They crush. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE F LE ET 


97 



THE PLAZA AND CATHEDRAL OF BUENOS AYRES 

poison and in other ways kill these insects; but the next 
year comes a fresh supply, borne on the wind from the 
wilds of Brazil; so these locust pests are a serious prob¬ 
lem. 

The great plains of Argentina, covered with pam¬ 
pas grass, furnish natural pasture land for immense 
herds of cattle and sheep, which form an ever-increasing 
source of wealth. Hides, tallow and wool are exported 
in great quantities and ships fitted up with refrigerating 
plants carry cargoes of frozen beef and mutton to 
Europe. Sometimes there will be a hundred thousand- 
sheep belonging to one sheep ranch. 

The men who care for these mighty herds are a 



98 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


mixture of the native Indian and the Spanish races. 
They are called Guachos. They are dark and swarthy 
in color, and with their slouch hats and belts stuck full 
of great knives they look very fierce indeed. They live 
in mud huts about fifteen feet square. The floor is of 
earth and there is little or nothing in the way of furni¬ 
ture. The women do the cooking outside in the open 
air. The meal usually consists of beef, cut off in large 
slices and cooked over the fire. These people eat with¬ 
out plates or forks, so housekeeping is a very simple 
matter in Argentina. 

The men of the plains, like our cowboys, are great 
horsemen and, though they live in a rough wild way, 
when they ride into the little villages for supplies their 
saddles and spurs are gaily decked with silver. 

Farther inland, beyond the plains, where the Andes 
Mountains separate this country from Chili, there is 
great mineral wealth, as yet undeveloped. One of the 
high peaks of the Andes, Mt. Aconcagua, is on the 
western boundary. The level surface of Argentina has 
furnished an ideal place for the work of the railroad 
engineers and a perfect network of railroads covers the 
country in all directions; so travel is easy. 

Buenos Ayres is on the south bank of the great 
estuary which forms the entrance to the Rio de la Plata, 
so it is well situated for commerce. It is the metropolis 
not only of the Argentine Republic, but of South 
America, and it is the largest Spanish-speaking city in 
‘the world. Buenos Ayres means good air and the city 
has plenty of it, whether it comes with the east wind 
from the Atlantic or from the pampero—the bracing, 
healthful wind which blows over the vast plains. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


m 


Buenos Ayres is somewhat like an Italian city and 
is regularly built, its streets crossing at right angles. 
In the older portions of the town the streets are nar¬ 
row and badly paved, but the newer sections are laid 
out in accordance with modern ideas. 

As one third of the people of Argentina are for¬ 
eigners, we find many nationalities on the streets of 
Buenos Ayres. There are many Italians, Spanish, and 



PAMPAS OF THE ARGENTINE 


French and, as large amounts of English capital have 
been invested in the country we may often hear our 
own familiar English language. 

Beef, veal, and mutton of excellent quality are to 
be had in the markets of Buenos Ayres, and good flour 
also. Chickens are sold by peddlers, who are a funny 
sight mounted on their little ponies with great wicker 
cages full of chickens, going through the town. One 
queer thing South Americans eat is the armadillo. This 








100 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


name, armadillo, was given by the Spaniards and means 
“clad in armor,” for the creatures so-called have a bony 
or shell-like covering, jointed like armor, so that it is 
flexible and permits freedom of motion. The several 
plates or pieces are joined by bands, which grow as the 
animal grows; so bis coat of mail always fits him. 

The armadillo has a long tail covered with bony 
rings and its head, shaped somewhat like that of a pig, 
is well adapted to burrowing in the ground and digging 
up the roots and small insects upon which it feeds. It 
lives in its burrows underground and is seldom seen, as 
it usually comes out only at night. There are several 
species of armadillos, varying in length from five to 
fifteen inches and they are found from Nicaragua to 
Argentina. These animals, when food is plenty, grow 
very fat and, roasted in their shells, are considered a 
great delicacy by the Portuguese and Spaniards of 
South America. 

The city of Buenos Ayres measures eleven miles 
from end to end and covers twice as much ground as 
Paris. For miles its business streets are lined with 
shops filled with the luxuries and necessaries of life and 
on the residence streets there are some beautiful homes. 

There are many fine squares in the city; one of these 
is the Plaza de Mayo, of which the people are so proud. 
Facing on this are the president’s house, the Halls of 
Congress, the Court building and the bolza or stock 
exchange. On the opposite side is the great cathedral, 
which covers an acre of ground and holds nine thousand 
people. The women here are beautiful, of the Spanish 
type, and we may imagine the gay scene on Sunday 


A STORY OF THE RATTLE FLEET 


101 


mornings when they come from church followed by the 
admiring glances of their friends. 

Leading out from the plaza, to the westward, is the 
beautiful Avenida de Mayo, which cost the public- 
spirited citizens ten million dollars in gold. The people 
are liberal in religious matters and many different 
denominations have fine churches, which are scattered 
throughout the city. Though the population is now 
821,291, all this has not been accomplished without 
great effort, for the city has no natural harbor. Ships 
must anchor six miles from the shore and send passen¬ 
gers and freight ashore in little steam tenders. Two 
piers, each fifteen hundred feet long, have been built 
to assist in the landing and other improvements are in 
contemplation. The first permanent settlement of 
Buenos Ayres was in 1580. And when we see what has 
been accomplished since their declaration of independ¬ 
ence, July 9, 1816, we must think that Argentina well 
deserves to be called “The Yankee Land of South 
America.” 

DOWN THE COAST OF PATAGONIA 

As the fleet went on its way down the coast of Pata¬ 
gonia the increasing cold and dampness began to be 
felt. Jake had performed his duties so faithfully that 
he was sometimes allowed to assist in serving meals in 
Admiral Evans’s cabin, and he saw each day the lines 
of pain deepening on the admiral’s face and knew T that 
the hero he had grown to love was in great suffering. 
Others saw it, too, and the knowledge had gone through 
the ship. 


102 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


“What is the matter with Admiral Evans?” Jake 
asked Harry, and the latter told him of the wounds 
which had never been cured. Evans had received them 
in the Civil War, in the second attack on Fort Fisher. 
His name was first on the list of volunteers. He was 
placed in charge of the commodore’s barge, a large 
boat holding about thirty-five men; this was followed 
by about two hundred smaller boats. 

As soon as the order to land was given, there was a 
rush for the beach. Before dark all of the attacking 
party were landed and enough provisions and ammuni¬ 
tion to supply them in case of a storm. They were 
about a mile from the fort, but under fire from the 
sharpshooters. 

The next day the Union forces advanced, till they 
were some twelve hundred yards from the fort, where 
they waited the signal to charge, which was to be given 
by the steam whistles of the fleet. About three o’clock 
in the afternoon the signal whistles blew and the men 
started for the run of twelve hundred yards across the 
loose sands. The guns of the fort opened fire upon 
them and many a boy in blue laid down his life upon 
the shining shore. 

When they were about six hundred yards from the 
fort, the twenty-six hundred muskets of the garrison 
opened fire upon them. The men went down, again and 
again, before that deadly hail of bullets, but rallied at 
the call of their officers, till they were so near they could 
hear the voices in the fort. 

Up to this time Evans had escaped, but as he stood 
to take aim, a shot took him in the breast and turned 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


103 


him completely around. He saw the red blood oozing 
from the hole in his coat, but pushed on, leading his 
men. A moment later the bullet of a sharpshooter hit 
him about three inches below the left knee. The force 
of the blow threw him on his face on the sand, but,, 
taking a handkerchief from his pocket, with the assist¬ 
ance of a friend he tied up the wound and pressed on. 

His leg seemed asleep, but he was able to use it. He 
was still leading his command and with seven men had 
just got through the stockade, when the same sharp¬ 
shooter sent a ball through the right knee, and as Evans: 
fell he realized that for him fighting was ended for a 
time. He tried to tie up the wound with another silk 
handkerchief, while the sharpshooter, determined to fin¬ 
ish his work, continued to fire at the wounded man. At 
the fifth shot Evans was struck in the foot. Then his 
patience was exhausted and, taking aim, he fired and 
silenced the sharpshooter forever. 

One of the marines came rushing into the stockade 
and, lifting Evans, ran with him to a more sheltered 
spot. Later he carried him fifty yards farther down 
the beach and dropped him into a hole made by an 
exploding shell. Just then the marine himself was shot 
and dropped dead near him. After this Evans fainted 
from loss of blood and lay unconscious. 

The tide soon came in, covering the beach and filling 
the hole with water. It was up to the wounded lad’s 
ears when he roused. He could not use his legs in any 
way and as he dug into the sand with his hands it 
crumbled in his fingers. It seemed as though slow 
drowning in the sandpit were to be his inglorious por- 


104 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


tion, but finally he discovered a marine near by, shel¬ 
tered behind a sandbank, and with the aid of a pistol 
persuaded him to come and drag him to a place of 
comparative safety. 

As Evans himself tells the story, he says the scene 
on the beach was by this time dreadful in the extreme. 
Dead and wounded officers and men lay on the sand 
as far as eye could see. The pitiful cries for “Water, 
water, water,” were heartrending. In time a fireman 
from the gunboat Chicopee came along. He said that 
if Evans could sit on his coal shovel, he could drag him 
to a place of safety. 

They tried this, but the man was soon shot through 
both arms, so that ended the effort. Finally, when 
night came, two men who had been sent for Evans 
found him and carried him a mile and a half to the 
Union lines. The doctor, seeing he was so badly 
wounded, thought little could be done for him, and when 
the lifeboat got through the surf, he was taken with 
other wounded men to the gunboat Nereus. 

They were just putting him on a cot to carry him 
below when he saw a signal torch calling the flagship 
and in a moment he read the message^ “The fort is 
ours.” What cheers broke from the fleet! Even the 
poor wounded meii rejoiced that their sufferings had 
helped to win the victory. 

Early next day they started for the naval hospital 
at Norfolk, Va. There Evans was lifted into a com¬ 
fortable cot and, slipping his revolver under his pillow 
and drawing the blanket up about him, was soon fast 
asleep. He waked in time to hear the doctors say, 
“Take off both legs in the morning.” 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


105 


Sleep was over for that night and the poor wounded 
lad did some hard thinking. The next morning the doc¬ 
tor’s assistant, who was a personal friend of Evans’s, 
came into the room. Evans saw they hated to tell him 
the truth; so, facing the difficulty as he had always 
done, he said he had overheard the conversation of the 
previous evening. He was only eighteen years old at 
this time and he said he would rather die with his legs 
on than have to live without them; and he asked the 
doctor to do what he could for him without amputating 
them. The doctor said, “You know, Evans, orders have 
to be obeyed.” They went over the matter again, with¬ 
out effect. At last, losing his patience, Evans seized 
his revolver, saying that there were six cartridges in it, 
and that he would kill six men before he would let them 
cut his legs off. 

The doctor’s wife and little girl were very kind to 
him, and youth and good blood carried him safely 
through the awful sufferings of that dreadful time. 
Through the long months he struggled on, though he 
was so weak that he could not lift a finger, but finally 
he was able to be taken to a friend in Philadelphia. 

The medical board had placed him on the retired 
list as unfit for further service, but Evans had no 
thought of retiring from active service at the age of 
eighteen; so he applied to Congress for relief and was 
finally restored to his rank and assigned to the Piscata- 
qua, sailing for China. Such terrible injuries could 
never be made well, but the iron determination of Evans 
to do his duty, legs or no legs, has carried him through 
all difficulties. All the fleet knew the story of those 


106 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


early days and they listened with deep sympathy to the 
news from the admiral’s cabin. The chill air of Pata¬ 
gonia brought back the old aches and pains, but, even 
when unable to be on the deck, Admiral Evans planned 
and directed the movements of the fleet. 

THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN 

The vessels were proceeding on their way in the usual 
formation, when, on the thirtieth of January, a commo¬ 
tion began in the electrical department. Harry saw a 
wireless message was being received and soon heard 
that it was from the repair ship Panther, which was 
awaiting them inside Cape Virgin, in more sheltered 
waters. 

The weather was cold and squally and as the fleet 
approached the cape at the entrance to the Straits of 
Magellan, the sailors saw the blackened ribs of a for¬ 
gotten wreck lying on the desolate shore. A few hun¬ 
dred yards more would have brought the unfortunate 
vessel to a place of safety, but they could only conjec¬ 
ture the fate of her unknown crew and thank the over¬ 
ruling Providence which had brought them safe thus 
far. 

The battleships soon met a merchantman flying the 
British colors and several tramp steamers going east¬ 
ward on the favoring ebb tide. These tramp steamers 
have no settled destination, but go from port to port, 
picking up cargoes wherever they can. The sailors re¬ 
joiced to see the ships and made signals of greeting 
to the men on board. 

The fleet soon rounded Cape Virgin and entered the 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


107 



THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN 

Straits of Magellan and moved on carefully. In the 
afternoon they cast anchor, that they might have full 
daylight for the dangerous passage. While they were 
waiting Harry told Jake the story of the daring navi¬ 
gator who first sailed through these straits, which still 
bear his name. Magellan, born in 1470, was of noble 
family and served in the household of the Queen of 
Portugal. Offended by the unjust treatment he had re¬ 
ceived from the king, he offered his services to Spain. 
It was a time of great activity in exploration and dis¬ 
covery, and he was soon sent on an expedition to dis¬ 
cover a western passage to the Spice Islands. He had 
five small ships; one was lost at sea, and the captains 
of three of the four remaining mutinied near Cape 






108 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


Virgin, and had to be executed and their vessels aban¬ 
doned. Then Magellan made the daring attempt to 
find a passage, through the straits, to save the long 
journey of over one thousand miles round Cape Horn. 

It was in 1519 that the expedition sailed and his 
vessel, the Victoria, was the first to circumnavigate the 
globe, for three years later she came sailing home to 
Spain by way of the Cape of Good Hope. Her cap¬ 
tain and sailors had a sad story to tell of their misfor¬ 
tunes, the greatest of which was the loss of their brave 
commander. We have another reason to remember 
Magellan, for it was he who discovered and named the 
Philippine Islands; and he lost his life there at the 
hands of the savages on the island of Cebu. 

The next day was cold but clear and they could see 
white sheep barns, and shepherds gathered to watch the 
ships from the low sandy shore. The dangerous places 
were passed in safety, Bob Evans having been there 
before. Soon came a more familar sight: the telegraph 
poles of Punta Arenas stretched along the horizon and 
the men rejoiced to think that they soon could have 
news direct from home. 

There was a flutter of birds as the vessels sailed on 
and dwarfed beech trees grew back of the low, sandy 
shores. Soon came another wireless, this time from the 
Chilian cruiser, Chacabuco, which was waiting near 
Punta Arenas to welcome them. Admiral Simpson of 
the Chilian navy and Mr. Hicks, our minister to Chili, 
were on board and had brought with them the latest 
charts to assist the fleet to make the dangerous passage. 

As the fleet approached Punta Arenas they saw the 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


109 


long, low sandy point which gives it its name. It is on 
the northern coast of the Straits of Magellan, about one 
hundred and ten miles from Cape Virgin, and the boys 
saw many vessels passing east and west on this great 
highway between the Alt antic and Pacific oceans—now 
an American ship bound for the Philippines or for 
Alaska, now one flying the British flag, carrying frozen 
meat from Australia to London. 

The low, dingy houses of the town, for the most part 
one story in height, looked uninviting; but there was 
comfort within, for Punta Arenas is a busy port and 
many men of wealth live in this seemingly undesirable 
spot. The fleet dropped anchor in the roadstead and 
found a warm welcome awaiting them. The govern¬ 
ment of Chili had sent orders that every courtesy should 
be shown the visitors; and had placed the cable lines at 
their disposal, with instructions that their telegraph mes¬ 
sages should be transmitted free of charge. Many 
hearts at home were thus gladdened by the good news of 
the safe arrival of the fleet. 

As the sailors looked across at Tierra del Fuego, 
they were astonished to see American gold-dredges for 
washing out the precious gravels. Gold in paying 
quantities has recently been found in the islands at this 
southern end of the Andes; and a little mining town, 
Porvenir, lias sprung up across the strait from Punta 
Arenas, and is now the most southern town in the world. 

The great mountain chain which we call the Rockies 
and South Americans the Andes, the backbone of the 
American continent, • drops precious metals from its 
treasures all the way from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego; 


110 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


and miners are busy, with improved scientific appli¬ 
ances, gathering in the gold, from Nome to Porvenir. 

The Governor of the Magellans, as the islands to 
the south are called, has his residence in Punta Arenas 
and a detachment of four hundred Chilian soldiers to 
help him keep up his dignity and prevent him from 
feeling lonesome. Jake and Harry used to hear the 
little band play for the drill every morning and it 
played very well, too, for the southern people are fond 
of music and are good musicians. They saw just one 
fine house built of brick which had been brought from 
Europe; but, as the wool from a sheep ranch is worth 
many thousands of dollars, before long this little town 
at the end of the world may have man}" beautiful homes. 

The people of Punta Arenas seem to come, like the 
ships in its harbor, from all parts of the world, and one 
hears all sorts of languages on its streets: English, 
German, Italian and Russian are spoken as well as 
Spanish and Indian dialects, and the broad accent of 
the Scotch shepherds falls upon the ear, for Punta 
Arenas—or Sandy Point, as some Americans call it— 
is the center of the great sheep-raising industries of 
Patagonia. 

Perhaps, like Jake and Harry and many others, you 
may always have thought of Patagonia and Tierra del 
Fuego as lands of gleaming ice and snow, and of fiery 
sunsets; but southward in Tierra del Fuego and north¬ 
ward from Punta Arenas stretch plains covered with 
sparse verdure upon which thousands and thousands of 
sheep feed unsheltered all winter long. These flocks 
are the riches of the country, and many of their wealthy 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 111 

owners live in Punta Arenas. The sheep, divided into 
groups, are guarded by mounted shepherds, each of 
whom has several collie dogs to assist in the duty. These 
dogs are well trained for their work. A wave of the 
shepherd’s hand sends them forward, another motion 
brings them back to him. They seem to know almost 
instinctively what they are to do. 

The delay of a collier carrying six thousand tons 
of coal detained the fleet another day, but those fortu¬ 
nate enough to have shore leave enjoyed the sights of 
the town, and the good behavior of our men was a sur¬ 
prise to many. One cowboy-like shepherd with big som¬ 
brero and leather leggings was heard to exclaim with 
great disgust, “I’ve come a hundred miles to see them. 
Are they real sailors? Don’t they never fight?” All 
were sorry for his apparent disappointment and the 
world can tell him that American sailors, if need comes, 
can fight; but they also know how to behave themselves 
and be a credit to the American nation. 

Jake and Harry noticed that the natives of Pata¬ 
gonia are tall, the men being about six feet in height, 
but not the gigantic people they had been expecting to 
see. These Indians do not stand high in the scale of 
civilization and their numbers are steadily decreasing. 
They live in miserable shelters and seem to wear very 
little in the way of clothing. They eat whatever they 
can find or kill. If a sheep or other animal is more 
than they can consume at once, they bury the rest near 
the bank of a stream; then, after a few days, they come 
back and eat it. When Jack heard that they would 
eat dead fish and whales which had been washed ashore 


112 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


he thought it was certainly true that there is no account¬ 
ing for tastes. 

The ships finally said good-by to their kind friends 
in Punta Arenas. Our torpedo flotilla had arrived and, 
with the addition of the repair-ship Panther and the 
“beef boat” Culgoa, the line stretched out five miles 
with the Chacabuco leading. Harry and Jake had 
hoped to see the towering mountains and great glaciers, 
and all the wonderful scenery which has been so well 
described; but alas! there was a head wind which blew 
the smoke and cinders and clouds of mist directly back 
at them, so that those on each vessel could see little 
but the stern of the vessel in front and the bow of the 
one following her. Occasionally the mist blew aside, 
and then they had glimpses of the grandeur about them; 
but for the most part it was very different from what 
they had expected. No wild masses of foaming waters 
tossed the vessels from side to side, but as steadily as if 
on a mill-pond the great ships moved on. 

By this time Admiral Evans was confined to his 
cabin, but, ably seconded by Rear-Admiral Thomas, he 
planned and directed the movements of the fleet. He 
had made the passage of the straits before and knew 
where to look for difficulties. Drizzle and mist con¬ 
tinued to spoil the view, but good luck, “Evans’s luck,” 
the sailors called it, continued to follow the fleet, which 
in due time was safe out on the Pacfic Ocean. Good 
care and good seamanship would perhaps be better 
terms, for their trusty commander had led them through 
dangers where the slightest slip or mistake would have 
meant disaster. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


113 


The strait is about three hundred and sixty miles 
long, with a channel varying from two to twenty-four 
miles in width. It takes about four days to make the 
passage, as vessels have to anchor at night, because they 
need daylight to go safely through the intricate wind¬ 
ings of the channel. One place near the western end 
of the strait is called “The Narrows.” It is well named, 
for it seems so narrow that no ship could get through; 
it took Evans on his first trip only a few minutes, but 
the short time was full of danger. He says himself: 
“As we came up to the Narrows it seemed impossible 
that a ship could get through, indeed there seemed no 
opening, the turns were so short. But she went through, 
running thirteen and a half knots, and it was a beauti¬ 
ful sight to see her do it—at least the officers told me 
it was; I did not see much of it myself, for I had taken 
charge, and my blood was rushing, so that I was warm 
for a few minutes anyhow. I remembered afterward 
that every face—all the men on deck—was turned to 
me. We were in the Narrows scarcely six minutes, yet 
in that short time we had made nearly two complete 
turns.” 

Evans was in command of the Yorktown at the time 
he wrote this account of his passage, and was on his 
way to Valparaiso, where he did so much, single-handed, 
to uphold the honor of the American flag. 


114 


WITH EYANS TO THE PACIFIC 


VALPARAISO 

The government of Chili had sent an invitation to 
Admiral Evans to have the American Fleet stop at 
Valparaiso. Evans was not able to accept this, for he 
had been ordered to go on to Peru; but in view of the 
kindness of the Chilian president in sendng a warship 
to escort them through the Straits of Magellan, the 
admiral wished to do what he could to gratify the peo¬ 
ple. He decided to vary his course and sail as close to 
the land as possible, so that all on shore could see the 
great American ships. 

One of Harry’s last gifts from his father had been 
a good pair of field glasses and, on this occasion, they 
were very useful. The ships sailed into the bay about 
one o’clock and, fortunately, Harry and Jake were off 
duty for the afternoon. They found a good point of 
outlook on the upper deck and greatly enjoyed the 
beautiful sight. 

The fleet made a fine appearance as it entered the 
harbor at Valparaiso, which is the chief seaport of Chili. 
It is a town of one hundred and fifty thousand inhabi¬ 
tants, built around a semi-circular bay, which forms a 
fine anchorage for ocean-going vessels. The foothills 
of the Andes Mountains, which are very near the ocean 
at this point, rise abruptly in the background, and there 
are many houses built on the terrace-like streets far up 
the hillsides. 

Valparaiso is a modern style of town, well paved 
and lighted by electricity, and one frequently hears 
English spoken there, though, of course, Spanish is the 
language of the country. There is a population of 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


115 


about three millions in the Republic of Chili, of which 
one third are pure white, the remainder being princi¬ 
pally mixtures of the descendants of the Spanish con¬ 
querors and the native Indians. 

Chili is a narrow country, varying in width from 
fifty to two hundred miles, but what it lacks in breadth 
it makes up in length, for it stretches two thousand six: 
hundred miles from north to south along the Pacific 
Ocean. 

If we could imagine Cape Horn placed at the south¬ 
ern extremity of Florida, the northern part of Chili 
would reach the northern part of Labrador. Such an 
extent from north to south of course gives it great 
variety in climate and products. Gold, silver, and cop¬ 
per are found in the mountains and even the desert 
yields quantities of the valuable nitrate of soda; though 
agriculture is the great industry of the people and wheat,, 
vegetables and grapes and other fruits are raised in 
abundance and supply the less fertile sections. 

Chili’s exports are valuable, amounting to $103,223,- 
000 per annum; and her imports are valued at $71,868,- 
000. The Chilenos, as they call themselves, are the “Yan¬ 
kees of South America.” They are good traders, enter¬ 
prising and industrious, and Chili is one of the most 
jDrogressive of the South American republics. Harry 
and Jake wished they could start out on an exploring 
expedition and thought they would like to ride in the 
street cars of Valparaiso. One of the sailors who had 
visited the city told them that on these cars the conduc¬ 
tors were not men with brass buttons, but black-eyed 
Spanish girls, who smilingly extended their hands for 







PANORAMA OP VALPARAISO. CHILI 

























A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


117 


the carfare. These girls wear a sort of uniform, of 
sailor hats, dark dresses, and aprons with pockets for 
tickets and money. The boys were told that, at the time 
of the war with Peru, the men left to go into the army 
and the women took their places and have done so well 
that they are still employed. 

When the boys looked across to the highlands they 
could see the shipping which filled the harbor and the 
flags of many nations fluttering in the breeze; and, as 
they looked on the town, with its beautiful setting, they 
thought it well deserved its name of Valparaiso, or 
Vale of Paradise. 

Admiral Evans had arranged to sail his ships slowly 
into and around the great crescent of the bay to its 
northern point, where the fleet was to be reviewed by 
Presdent Montt of Chili. So the boys saw the whole of 
the imposing spectacle. The Chilian president reviewed 
the fleet from the old-fashioned training ship General 
Baquedano, which w r as stationed at the northern end 
of the bay. 

As each ship entered the harbor, it saluted the. 
Chilian flag with the national salute of twenty-one guns 
and the President received a similar salute as each ship 
of our fleet passed him in review. 

The perfection of drill and the fine appearance of 
our vessels greatly impressed the people of Chili, who 
had gathered by thousands on the hillsides to see the 
ships, and the wireless was kept busy carrying compli¬ 
mentary messages to the admiral and the other officers 
of our fleet. They were all interested to learn that 
President Montt w T as a son of the President Montt 



118 WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


A PICTURESQUE STREET IN VALPARAISO 

who was there in the days when Fighting Bob so bravely 
defended the honor of our nation. 

“How did they come to call the admiral ‘Fighting 
Bob?’”asked Jake, and Harry told him the story of the 
admiral’s former visit to Valparaiso. 

It was in 1891. There had been a revolution in 
<Chili and the unsuccessful leaders had taken refuge 
with the American Minister, Mr. Egan, who gave them 
shelter to save their lives. An unfriendly feeling had 
developed against the Americans and two sailors from 
our ship Baltimore were treacherously killed and 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


119 


eighteen others wounded, while they were peaceably 
on shore. 

When Evans, with his small ship, the Yorktown, 
reached Valparaiso, he found the Baltimore looking 
warlike enough, but with no one to help her, and the 
bay inshore filled with the Chilian navy. 

Evans was a captain then, and Captain Schley, 
whom we all remember so well at Santiago de Cuba, 
was in command of the Baltimore. The poor sailors 
had been killed in a most cowardly manner, having been 
stabbed in the back, with fifty Chilian policemen looking 
on, if not assisting. Captain Evans called on Captain 
Schley and reported for duty; then he called upon the 
Chilian officials. The feeling at first seemed principally 
against the Baltimore and her men, but later it became 
bitter against our whole nation. 

Evans took pains to be scrupulously polite; he said 
at the time, “It is not my business to make trouble here, 
and I don’t intend to give offence to any one, until I’ve 
orders from home, then I shall do it with my guns and 
not with my tongue.” Evans believed that some of the 
Chilians had tried to assist our men, and this helped him 
to have some patience with the others. 

While he was waiting anxiously for President Har¬ 
rison’s message to Congress, the Baltimore was ordered 
north. This left him to face the music alone. Matters 
went from bad to worse; then he received a message 
from Washington to keep his ship filled up with coak 
They little knew him, to think such an order necessary; 
coal and everything else about the ship were ready for 
any emergency. 


120 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


The bitter feeling increased and the situation con¬ 
tinued critical. The Chilian soldiers and sailors were 
killing the defenceless prisoners who fell into their 
hands, and were clamoring for the refugees in the 
American legation in Santiago. News from home was 
not reassuring. Harrison was for war, the navy was 
getting ready for war, and it looked as though the 
dreadful clash were inevitable; but Evans was deter¬ 
mined to save the poor people who had taken refuge 
under the American flag. The slightest error of judg¬ 
ment on his part would have precipitated a bloody con¬ 
flict; but Fighting Bob was fighting for peace, not war. 
At this time, Evans himself had a narrow escape from 
an attack in the streets. 

When New Year came, there was a grand celebra¬ 
tion; and, as the leading Chilian warship sent off her 
guns and a flight of rockets, one of them—a war rocket 
—nearly struck the little Yorktown. It seemed to have 
been purposely aimed at the Americans. Evans 
promptly hoisted the American flag and turned his 
two searchlights on it. Any one wishing to do so could 
find him; but he would not let the Chilians say that his 
ship had been hit by accident. No more rockets came 
that way to trouble him. 

Evans was now ordered to proceed inland to the 
capital, Santiago, to visit Minister Egan, and find 
out how matters were there. The American legation 
was surrounded with spies and police and the inmates 
were virtually prisoners. The signs of the recent sack¬ 
ing and looting of the town were visible and Evans 
said that he had never seen such wanton destruction. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 121 

By the end of the week matters became so much 
worse that Evans s boat was stoned; then his patience 
gave out. He was rowed straight to the Chilian com¬ 
mander and read the riot act to him; and told him that 
if there was any further trouble he would open fire on 
any who insulted his men or his flag. His position had 
become one of terrible responsibility and he could not 
sleep, thinking of what was best to be done. 

That night Mr. Egan telephoned, asking Evans to 
have his steam-launch ready at six o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing, as he w r as coming to pay him a visit. 

Evans guessed what that meant, and soon the boat 
appeared with Egan and the unfortunate refugees. As 
Evans said, the American flag is a wonderful thing; 
and those men, who would have been torn to pieces on 
shore, were soon sleeping safe under its sheltering folds. 

It was not only the refugees but also American 
business interests on land that Evans had to protect; 
but grit has made his career from first to last and his 
iron determination carried him triumphantly through 
all difficulties. More refugees came on board and, with 
their wives and families, the boat was crowded. Finally 
they were taken to a place of safety; but the spectacle 
of Evans with one little gunboat upholding the dignity 
of the American nation and defying, single-handed, the 
whole navy of Chili—nine ships to one—captured the 
popular imagination and he has been Fighting Bob 
ever since, though he really fought harder to keep the 
peace than he could possibly have done if there had been 
war. He was very glad when matters were amicably 
settled, and was not sorry to sail away from Valparaiso. 


122 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


This time his visit was very different. The Presi¬ 
dent of Chili and all the prominent government officials 
came from Santiago to receive the warships, and festive 
decorations were arranged in honor of the Americans. 

One of the most noticeable of the decorations was a 
detachment of the sailors of the Chilian navy in white 



ON THE HILL AT VALPARAISO 


uniforms, which was massed on the hillside in full view 
of the bay. They were arranged so that their formation 
spelled the word Welcome in giant letters; and the 
American sailors cheered with a will when they saw this 
Jiving embodiment of the spirit of hospitality. With a 
change of position, as our fleet sailed away, the white- 
clad Chilian sailors formed the word Farewell. 








A STORY OF THE BATTIE FLEET 


123 


Times have changed since the days when Fighting 
Bob commanded the little Yorktown. It must have been 
a great gratification to Evans to return as admiral, com¬ 
manding so superb a fleet; and the warm welcome he 
and his men received from Chili was a testimonial well 
worth having. It showed that, at last, the Chilians knew 
and appreciated Fighting Bob and his countrymen. 

There have been many disputes between Chili and 
the Argentine Republic as to the boundary line between 
the respective countries. This controversy was referred 
to King Edward of England for settlement. His deci¬ 
sion has been accepted by both nations and a noble 
monument has been erected and placed upon the boun¬ 
dary line in commemoration of the peaceful settlement 
of this important matter. 

The f olio wing extract gives an account of the statue 
and of its erection: 

The suggestion of Bishop Benavente as to the erection of a 
statue of Christ on the boundary at Puente del Inca was quickly 
carried into execution. As early as 1901, on the initiative of 
Senora de Costa, president of the Christian Mothers’ Association 
of Buenos Ayres, one of the largest women’s organizations in the 
world, the women of Buenos Ayres, who had already manifested 
the deepest interest in the new movement, undertook the task of 
securing funds and having a statue created. The work was en¬ 
trusted to the young Argentine sculptor, Mateo Alonso. When 
his design was completed and accepted, the statue was cast at 
the arsenal of Buenos Ayres from old cannon taken from the 
ancient fortress outside of the city. 

It was more than a year from the time that it was cast until 
it was placed in its destined position. On May 21, 1903, the 
Chilean representatives, bearing the treaties for final ratification, 
came by sea to Buenos Ayres. They were met down the river 


124 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


and escorted to the city by a large fleet of gaily decked steamers. 
For a week there was a round of festivities. When the treaties 
were finally signed on the 28th of May, Senora de Costa invited 
all the dignitaries present—cabinet officials, foreign ministers, 
bishops, newspaper men, generals, admirals, etc.—to inspect the 
statue of Christ in the courtyard of the college, and standing at 
its foot with the distinguished audience about her she pleaded 
that it might be placed on the highest accessible point of the 
Andes between the two countries. 

It was not till in February, 1904, that the final steps were 
taken for its erection. It was carried by rail in huge crates 
from Bueftos Ayres to Mendoza, then on gun carriages up the 
mountains, the soldiers and sailors themselves taking the ropes 
in critical places, where there was danger of the mules stumbling. 
Hundreds of persons had come up the night before and encamped 
on the ground to be present at the ceremony. The Argentines 
ranged themselves on the soil of Chile and the Chileans ‘on the 
Argentine side. There was music and the booming of guns, 
whose echoes resounded through the mountains. The moment 
of unveiling, after the parts had been placed in position, was 
one of solemn silence. The statue was then dedicated to the 
whole world as a practical lesson of peace and goodwill. The 
ceremonies of the day, March 13, 1904, were closed, as the sun 
went down, with a prayer that love and kindness might penetrate 
the hearts of men everywhere. 

The base of the statue is in granite. On this is a granite 
sphere, weighing some fourteen tons, on which the outlines of 
the world are sketched, resting upon a granite column twenty-two 
feet high. The figure of Christ above, in bronze, is twenty-six 
feet in height. The cross supported in his left hand is five feet 
higher. The right hand is stretched out in blessing. On the 
granite base are two bronze tablets, one of them given by the 
Workingmen’s Union of Buenos Ayres, the other by the Work¬ 
ing Women. One of them gives the record of the creation and 
erection of the statue; on the other are inscribed the words: 

“Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than Ar- 





A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


125 


gentines and Chileans break the peace to which they have pledged 
themselves at the feet of Christ the Redeemer.” 

It is not easy to compare events and say which is the great¬ 
est. But taking it all in all, the long quarrel of seventy years 
which it closed, the arbitration of the boundary dispute, the gen¬ 
eral treaty of arbitration and the practical disarmament which 
preceded it, the remarkable transformation of public opinion ex¬ 
pressed in its consummation, and the sublime prophecy of peace 
for the future which it gives not only for Chile and Argentina 
but for the whole world, the erection of the Christ of the Andes 
stands without parallel among the events of recent years.” * 


THE VISIT TO PERU 

The men of the fleet were looking forward to their 
visit to Peru and as the vessels approached the shores 
the crews gazed with interest on the scene before them. 

The winds from the Atlantic drop most of their 
moisture upon the eastern slopes of the Andes. A few 
short rivers on the western slope are fed from the snow- 
clad heights, but a great part of the Pacific coast of 
South America is desert land, where rain seldom falls. 
But this sterile region of mountain crags and uninviting 
desert is full of mineral wealth. Gold, in varying quan¬ 
tities, is found everywhere in Peru, and Potosi is a 
veritable mountain of silver, while the nitrate beds and 
guano deposits of the coast have proved to be of great 
value. 

The valleys and table-lands of the interior are very 
fertile, and corn, cotton, wheat, coffee, fruits and vari¬ 
ous other products are raised in profusion. 

“As rich as a Peruvian,” used to be proverbial, but 


*The Christ of the Andes: The Story of the Erection of the Great Peace 
Monument on the Andean Boundary between Chile and Argentina. Published by 
the American Peace Society, Boston, 1905. 



126 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



THE HARBOR AT CALLAO, PERU 

their riches have brought misery to the people and ter- 
rible wars have desolated the country from the time of 
the Spanish conquest to the recent bitter conflict with 
Chili. 

Peru contains about four hundred and eighty thou¬ 
sand square miles of territory or about one eighth as 
much as the United States, though it contains only 
about two and one-half million people, less than were 
living there in 1521, at the time of the Spanish 
Conquest. 

The early Spanish settlements spread across the 
isthmus and, reaching the ocean, turned the thoughts of 
the explorers and adventurers to the shores of the 
Pacific. 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


127 


Soon after Cortez conquered Mexico, Pizarro and 
two friends of his, then living at Panama, formed a 
plan for conquest and plunder in South America. Tales 
of the golden treasures of the country excited their 
cupidity and, though they were able to obtain only one 
vessel and a small force of men, they proceeded to 
explore the unknown lands to the southward. 

Peru at that time had made great advances in civili¬ 
zation. The country was populous; some have esti¬ 
mated that it had forty million people, and the soil 
was systematically cultivated to support them. The 
inhabitants seem to have lived on the community plan, 
with land, food and clothing apportioned by govern¬ 
ment regulation. So they needed no money and their 
gold was used for the adornment of the Inca’s palaces 
and of the temples, where they worshiped the golden 
sun-god. The Peruvian Incas were believed to be chil¬ 
dren of the sun and were reverenced by their people. 

The government provided occupation for all; idle¬ 
ness wrs a crime in the eyes of Peruvian law and was 
severely punished. The masonry work of the Peruvians 
was very fine, and they built wonderful roads from one 
end of the country to the other. These roads were 
paved with broad slabs of stone, and the mountain 
chasms were crossed on suspension bridges of rope, 
some of them two hundred feet long. Swift runners 
ran along these roads, carrying the news from the capi¬ 
tal to the most distant portions of the empire. 

The country seems to have reached the pinnacle of 
its prosperity under the rule of the Inca Huayna 
Capac, who had greatly extended its dominions. When 


128 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


this Inca died—or, to use the Peruvians’ own expres¬ 
sion, “was called home to the mansions of his father, 
the sun”—he had divided the territory between his two 
heirs. To his son Huascar he had given the country 
about Quito, and his other son, Atahualpa, had received 
the portion about the sacred city, Cuzco. 

Atahualpa had claimed the whole upon the ground 
that his half-brother was not of pure Inca blood. The 
whole country had been plunged in civil war. Ata¬ 
hualpa, having his father’s army, had been successful 
in the struggle and Huascar was a prisoner at the time 
of the arrival of the Spaniards. 

The Spaniards’ first expedition into Peru brought 
back glowing accounts of the fertility and riches of the 
country and, not receiving the help he desired from the 
governor at Panama, Pizarro returned to Spain and 
obtained a grant of six hundred miles of seacoast and 
the position of captain-general. 

One hundred and eight men were all that could be 
raised, and with this small force Pizarro set out to sub¬ 
due Peru. At their first landing, the Spaniards secured 
a great amount of treasure in gold and silver which they 
sent back to the isthmus and, by means of this proof 
of the riches of the country, a small additional force 
was secured. Messengers from the captive Huascar 
now came to Pizarro and solicited his aid against Ata¬ 
hualpa; and Pizarro, leaving part of his men on the 
seacoast, marched with the remainder into the interior. 

Atahualpa received the Spaniards in the most 
friendly manner. The Peruvian monarch was seated 
on a throne which was covered with gold and adorned 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET — 129 

with plumes and precious stones. This throne was 
borne by a detachment of his principal officers and fol¬ 
lowed by his army of thirty thousand men. 

There seemed little prospect of success for the hand¬ 
ful of Spanish adventurers; but, following the example 



MAIN STREET, CALLAO 


of Cortez, Pizarro, who was equally cruel and unscrupu¬ 
lous, determined to employ bold measures. 

A demand was made at once that Atahualpa should 
renounce his religion and submit to the rule of the King 
of Castile. After listening to a long address from the 
w r hite people, the Inca asked where they had learned all 



130 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


these strange things. “In this book,” said the Span¬ 
iards, holding up a breviary. The Inca took it and 
raising it to his ear, said, “It tells me nothing,” then 
threw it on the ground. 

True Christian feeling would have led to an. expla¬ 
nation and gentler measures, but Pizarro was only wait¬ 
ing to carry out his well-arranged plan and as he gave 
the signal agreed upon, Atahualpa was seized and car¬ 
ried to the Spanish quarters. 

The Inca’s guard fought bravely and held on to 
the bridles of the Spanish horses, and as fast as one 
Peruvian was cut down, another took his place; but the 
unarmed Indians were no match for the mail-clad Span¬ 
iards and all their efforts were unavailing. 

The roar of the Spanish cannon and musketry 
startled the defenseless Peruvians, who had come in 
friendship to meet the Spaniards. They fled in disorder 
and four thousand of them were slaughtered without 
the loss of a single Spaniard. The golden ornaments 
and plunder taken were of immense value and the Span¬ 
iards were filled with anticipations of what was still in 
store for them. 

Atahualpa was plunged in despair at such a calam¬ 
ity. But he had found out the Spaniard’s greed for 
gold and hoped to buy his freedom. The room in which 
he was confined was twenty-two feet long and sixteen “ 
feet broad, and he offered to fill it, as high as he could 
reach, with gold, if they would release him. 

Pizarro agreed and a red line was drawn on the 
wall, nine feet from the ground, to show how high the 
gold was to be piled. This line may still be seen. Ata- 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


131 


hualpa sent to all the great temples; and treasures of 
beautiful workmanship, vases anti ornaments of the 
precious metal were gladly sent to free the Inca. 

The Peruvians had become expert in working 
gold and silver. One thing they made which was very 
beautiful was an ear of corn with golden grains 
sheathed in silver; and another was a fountain of gold, 
with golden birds about it, and plants of gold surround¬ 
ing the basin. 

This great treasure was melted down by native 
workmen and divided among Pizarro’s followers. It 
took the goldsmiths over a month, working day and 
night, to reduce the treasure to the form of ingots of 
gold. This amount of gold has been valued at 
$ 17 , 000 , 000 . 

Atahualpa, having performed his part of the agree¬ 
ment, now demanded his freedom, but the perfidious 
Spaniard had no thought of keeping his word. He only 
sought a pretext to put the Inca to death and, after a 
mock trial, the Inca was sentenced to die by slow fire. 
The mockery of Christian baptism was given at the last 
moment and he was strangled by those he had welcomed 
as friends. 

Having put Atahualpa out of the way, Pizarro 
declared a younger son of the late Inca his successor and 
the rapine and pillage went on. With or without the 
knowledge of Atahualpa, Huascar had been put to 
death in prison, and there seemed to be no one to lead 
the Peruvian forces against the Spaniards. 

When the gold of the unfortunate Atahualpa was 
sent to the isthmus, adventurers flocked to Pizarro and 


132 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


with increased forces he was able to penetrate into the 
heart of the country and take possession of Cuzco, the 
capital. Here the Spaniards found a treasure greater 
than that which they had obtained from Atahualpa. 
“All the plate, the ornaments, the utensils of every de¬ 
scription appropriated to religion were of gold or sil¬ 
ver” ; the very pipes which conducted water to the tem¬ 
ples were of silver. Among the booty secured were 
dresses made of beads of gold, and planks twenty feet 
long made of silver. 

The conquest of Peru was finally completed and in 
1535 Pizarro founded the city of Lima. Here he lived 
in lordly style and held sway with an iron rule. He had 
been a swineherd in Spain and he had no chivalric idea 
of honor. His name became a byword for perfidy; and 
in the end he was paid in full for his murder of 
Atahualpa. 

Enraged by his tyranny and oppression, the Span¬ 
iards formed a conspiracy against him; and on the 
night of June 26, 1541, he was attacked in his palace 
in Lima. He fought for his life with the courage 
of despair, killing three of his assailants before he 
was overpowered, though he was seventy years old at 
the time of his death. The feeling against him was so 
strong that his friends were compelled to bury his re¬ 
mains secretly. Perhaps our judgments are too severe 
when we use the standards of to-da} r . Pizarro lived in 
a wild, rough time, but his cruel treatment of the 
defenseless Indians and his many treacheries will always 
be a blot upon his name. 

^ For the next three hundred years Peru remained 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


133 


under Spanish rule. The Indians had the usual fate of 
helpless races. They were massacred in great numbers 
and, being forced to severe labor in the mines, many 
perished in misery. The tribes to the southward organ¬ 
ized and made a determined resistance. They copied 
the military formations of their invaders and fought 
with desperation; but their simple cotton dresses were 
of but slight protection against Spanish cannon and 
muskets, and their arrows glanced harmless from the 
Spaniards’ coats of mail. 

The riches they gathered were for their conquerors 
and Lima became one of the greatest cities of the South. 
Some idea of its opulence may be gathered from the 
story that at one of the high festivals the Spanish vice¬ 
roy rode from his palace to the cathedral over a pave¬ 
ment made of bars of silver, his horse was shod with 
gold and its mane and tail strung with pearls. The story 
seems almost incredible, but the Spanish archives bear 
witness to the immense amount of bullion which was 
sent to Spain. 

The vast riches of the country were not spent for 
the benefit of the people, but were squandered by ad¬ 
venturers or sent across the ocean to fill the coffers of 
Spain. The colony suffered all the evils of bad gov¬ 
ernment, till in 1821, after a successful revolution, it 
became a republic. 

The discovery of the guano deposits and nitrate 
beds added wealth by the millions to Peru, and Chili 
began to cast covetous eyes upon adjacent Peruvian 
territory. A claim was trumped up and, in 1879, Chili 
attacked Lima. The Chilian army wantonly destroyed 


134 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


property in all directions. The enemy camped in the 
university in Lima and destroyed historic records, 
books and valuable manuscripts. 

The Peruvians fought with great bravery; even the 
schoolboys of Lima went out to the firing line; but they 
were overpowered and Chili retained the valuable terri¬ 
tory. Peru thus lost a source of great wealth and many 
of her best and bravest sons fell on the battlefield in 
defense of their homes. 

President Pardo is a lawyer by profession, but he 
fought in the war against Chili when he was only a boy 
of fifteen, so he was a real soldier boy. He has devoted 
his influence to advance the cause of education in Peru. 
He has greatly improved the schools and has done much 
to extend the railway system of the country. Our fleet 
thought it an honor to be welcomed by such a man. 

Callao, where the ships anchored, is the port of 
Lima, which is built on higher ground, seven miles from 
the coast. Llere it is safe from the great tidal waves 
which are sometimes so destructive. Can you imagine 
great ships swept inland and left high and dry on the 
land ? That is what has happened at Callao. 

The bay at the port was gay with flags and full of 
shipping when the American fleet came in. President 
Pardo and his officials came from Lima for the grand 
review and cannon roared in welcome. Everything was 
done to show their friendship and respect for our nation 
and perhaps Admiral Evans remembered the day his 
little Yorktown carried the poor refugees to safety in 
Callao, and Peru was a friend in time of need. 

.. ° n the preceding visit his ship had experienced the 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 135 

effects of what is called a “Callao painter.” The white 
paint turned dark in a single night, necessitating the re¬ 
painting of the entire vessel. This happens at intervals 
and by some it is believed to be caused by submarine 
earthquakes, causing the escape of sulphurous gases 
from the bottom of the sea. But this time there was 
nothing of the sort and the beautiful white ships re¬ 
mained beautiful and white to the end. 

As many of the men as possible were given shore 
leave at Callao and were taken to Lima and entertained 
with feasts and receptions, ending with a Spanish bull¬ 
fight. It was a notable sight to see our men, neatly 
dressed in uniform, filling tier above tier of seats in the 
great arena. But their faces were grave, for bull-fight¬ 
ing seemed to the Americans a cruel sport, where all 
the odds were against the tormented animal. Once they 
applauded, but the applause was for the gallant resist¬ 
ance of the bull. The men in the arena ran more risk 
than our sailors realized and soon after the Americans 
left, one of the most expert of the matadors was gored 
to death by an infuriated bull. 

After the performance was over Harry and Jake 
wandered about seeing the sights. They found plenty 
to amuse and interest them. Lima is a quaint old city 
of over one hundred thousand inhabitants. It was, as 
we have said, founded by Pizarro in 1535 and was a 
flourishing and substantial town long before the^Pil- 
grim .Fathers stepped upon Plymouth Rock. The uni¬ 
versity, founded in 1551, is the oldest in America. 

The American boys visited the public square and 
were told that Pizarro was assassinated on the spot 


136 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



HOISTING CATTLE ABOARD SHIP AT CALLAO 

where the Peruvian President now lives; then they 
walked across the square to the old cathedral, with its 
two great towers, and were shown Pizarro’s remains, 
which are kept there in a glass case. 

Lima is in a land where rain seldom falls, and for the 
most part is built of adobe, or sun-dried brick. It is in 
a land of earthquakes, also, so the buildings are neces¬ 
sarily low, usually of one or two stories, and the heavy 
lower walls are five or six feet thick. Their earthen 
construction seems to sway with the tremors of the 
earth, so Lima has escaped the dreadful destruction 
which came to the cracking, falling walls of San Fran- 








A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


137 


cisco. Lima is safe from another danger, also. The 
roofs are made of flat poles covered with earth and no 
great fires have occurred for the last three hundred 
years. If fire breaks out, the poles burn and the earth 
on them falls down and puts out the flames, so that 
they do not spread. The people of Lima do not fear 
fire, but they do dread rain. Even a slight shower does 
great damage. 

The place looks very substantial with its massive 
walls, which, covered with stucco, have all the effect of 
cut stone; and the adobe has proved its value as a build¬ 
ing material in so dry a climate. The city is a network 
of narrow, dark streets. There are no gardens or yards 
such as we have, but there are some fine public 
squares. 

The houses are built around courts, called patios, 
from which they get most of their light and air. There 
are no chimneys sending forth black smoke, as in our 
cities, but nearly all the cooking is done over charcoal 
fires. The roofs are large and flat, but the space is not 
wasted, for chickens are raised up there, and one trying 
to sleep is often discouraged by the loud clucking and 
crowing which comes from the coops at daybreak. 

Even the business streets of this quaint city are 
not more than from twenty to thirty feet in width. The 
sidewalks are only four feet wide, so only two can walk 
abreast. 

The people are very polite and very well dressed, 
and Harry and Jake saw many beautiful girls and 
women. On the street the w^omen drape black shawds 
over their heads in the style of the Spanish mantilla. 


138 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



The streets are so narrow that there is little room 
for carriages, but small spirited horses are in general 
use and gay cavaliers ride about, their saddles and 
bridles plated with silver and their stirrups and bits 


STATUE OF BOLIVAR IN LIMA 

jingling and shining with the same bright metal. They 
do not tie their prancing steeds when they dismount but 
buckle short straps about the forelegs of the horses so 
the animals cannot run away. 

The peddlers seemed a curious sight to the Ameri¬ 
cans. They carry their wares of various kinds in bags 
or panniers, slung on each side of the horses. The 
hucksters, men and women, ride astride; and milk. 




A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


139 


bread, vegetables and provisions of all kinds are thus 
carried from house to house. 

Lima is built on both sides of the Rimac River, 
which dashes down from the Andes in sheets of snow- 
white foam. Of course, coming down from such a 
height, it is a succession of cascades and rapids, and is 
not navigable; though it adds much to the beauty of 
the scenery and the health of the town. 

The boys were sorry that there was not time to make 
the trip, by way of the great Arroyo Railroad, over the 
Andes Mountains; but they saw the queer locomotive 
and the little passenger car which were just starting. 
The road is used principally for carrying gold and sil¬ 
ver ores from the mines, and there are only two passen¬ 
ger trains each week, for few passengers have business 
up there among the clouds. 

The railroad follows for a time the course of the 
Rimac River and, as passengers go up from Lima, they 
pass in a few hours from the vegetation of the torrid 
zone to arctic regions of ice and snow. At the crossing 
point the road is three miles above the level of the sea, 
and mountain peaks around tower two thousand feet 
higher. 

Admiral Evans made the trip when in Peru 
before, and he said of the railway: “It dwarfed all the 
railroad work I had ever seen; indeed all the work of 
any kind. It is certainly a monument to American 
genius and pluck.” 

The material used in the construction of this great 
road had to be carried up the mountains on the backs 
of the Indians, or on the little llamas which are the 


140 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


beasts of burden in the Andes Mountains. Llamas are 
small animals, about three feet high from the ground 
to the back which bears the burden, though the camel¬ 
like head rises on the slender neck a foot and a half 



WASH DAY IN THE COUNTRY NEAR LIMA 


higher. They are as sure-footed as deer, and usually 
carry a weight of one hundred pounds. The llama 
knows what he can carry and if you overload him he 
quietly lies down and waits till the load is lightened. 
The Indians use llama flesh for food and these animals, 
like the vicuna and alpaca, yield fine and beautiful wool. 

The Arroyo road* does the work of thousands of 







A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


141 


llamas and we may take pride in having some share in 
this wonderful work; for although it was a Peruvian 
who first suggested the idea and the route, a Californian 
named Henry Meiggs raised the money to build the 
railway, laid out the road and acted as chief-engineer. 
Mount Meiggs, 17,575 feet high, near the topmost 
point of the track, is named in his honor. 

The road is not yet completed, but the most difficult 
part is done; the crossing of the Andes has been accom¬ 
plished, and in time to come trains will cross carrying 
trade from the Atlantic seaboard to the shores of the 
vast Pacific; then Peru will again become one of the 
richest nations of South America. 

Shore leave lasted till eight o’clock that evening, but 
the general round-up began* about seven, to warn the un¬ 
thinking that it was nearly time to depart. Harry and 
Jake made their way to the shore at Callao early, to be 
ready for the boats from their ship; hut the sailors of 
the police squad had their hands full, for many Jack 
Tars are in some resnects like spoiled children and some 
of this sort thought it fine fun to disappear into a shop 
or a place of amusement just when the guards thought 
they had them safelv on the road to the bay. 

The officers took it philosophically; there was no 
use in taking it any other way. The information, 
“Muggins has gone again!” brought the grave reply, 
“Too bad! He knows better,” and Muggins’s fate was 
sealed, as was that of those like him. There would be 
no shore leave for them next time. 

The beach was a scene of jolly confusion. In one 
place a sailor was dancing a hornpipe for the amuse- 


142 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


ment of an admiring circle, while near by another group 
listened with delight to the tinkling guitars, playing a 
Spanish fandango. 

The shrill whistle of the boatswains rang out, as 
the boats of the party came up to the beach, but at 
last, tired and sleepy, but very happy, the men were 
safely landed on board the ships, and soon the call was 
heard, “Pipe down, clear the deck. All right! Get 
into your hammocks and keep silence about the decks.”’ 

Soon the excited voices of the loquacious ones sub¬ 
sided into drowsy murmurings. Then sweet sleep de¬ 
scended upon them and they went off to the Land of 
Nod, where Incas and alpacas, Pizarro and prizes, gold, 
silver and pearls mingled in wild confusion, and the 
Peruvian visit went into the treasure-house of pleasant 
memories. 


OUT ON THE PACIFIC 

The fleet was soon out on the slow-rolling swells of the 
mighty Pacific and, while the land of the Incas was 
fading fast in the distance, those on board the ships 
could catch the last glimpses of the snow-clad Andes. 
All were in joyful spirits, for they felt they were home¬ 
ward bound. 

A few of the troublesome sailors were paying for 
their Peruvian pranks and the officers of the watch 
were finding extra scrubbing and various disagreeable 
tasks for them to do; for in the navy sailors are taught 
the useful lesson that if you have fun you must pay 
for it, and they realized that their punishment was well 
deserved and so bore it with good nature. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


143 


When the ships were a day or two from land, most 
mysterious sounds began to make themselves heard on 
hoard. They were heard now here, now there; some¬ 
times sounding above, sometimes seeming to come from 
the depths below. Tap, tap, tap! Had ghostly visi¬ 
tants risen from the briny deep? Were these unearthly 
knockings on the door of fate that resounded through 
the ships—a warning of impending disaster? 

Jack Tar is fond of exercising his ingenuity and 
investigation revealed that many of the sailors were 
engaged in hammering the South American silver pieces 
into rings and trinkets for the loved ones at home, and 
the metal-work and pipes of the ship carried the sound 
in a way most maddening to nervous people. The dis¬ 
turbers received warning to confine their eff orts to more 
seasonable hours, and peace was restored. 

Besides the parrots procured at Trinidad the ships 
had the usual supply of sailors’ pets. The three-legged 
goat, Billy, was the idol of the men. He knew every¬ 
thing but how to talk and, as the parrots could do that, 
no one minded his not knowing how. A well-timed 
butt from Billy would take even a veteran seaman off 
his sea legs and one never knew when this fate lay wait¬ 
ing, nor whose pride would have the next fall. 

One of the ships had a tame bear. The cub was not 
old enough to be vicious and it wrestled with the sailors 
.and tumbled in good-natured play all over the vessel. 

Sailors have a variety of pets and the pets have 
varied adventures on their voyages. One very strange 
pet appeared on Evans’ first cruise to Chili on the 
Yorktown. Mac, who had been on board the York- 


144 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



TWO OF THE FLEET’S MASCOTS 


town, told Jake and Harry the story. The boat wasr 
anchored in Bahia, Brazil, when Evans received orders 
to proceed to Montevideo and there aw^ait further 
instructions. Coaling was completed as quickly as pos¬ 
sible and at the same time the necessary stores were 
hurriedly taken aboard. The cook of the ward-room 
mess complained of the loss of a black pig. The men 
decided that the animal had gone overboard through a 
porthole and made up their minds that they must forego 
the delicacy of roast pork. 

When the vessel was about five days out from port, 
at two o’clock in the morning a delegation came to the 




A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


145 


cabin and Evans was aroused by his orderly, who an¬ 
nounced, “Sir, Dennis is found.” “Who the mischief 
is Dennis?” asked Evans, “and why do you disturb 
me?” 

The man explained that Dennis was the lost pig, 
that had been found in a coal bunker. He was very 
weak and ill, and the kind-hearted sailors wished the 
captain to see what could be done for him. Evans went 
out and Mac said they found a funny sight, for the 
ship’s cook had the pig in his arms and was trying to 
feed him condensed milk out of a spoon. 

It seemed that one of the men had gone into the 
coal bunker to pass coal for the furnaces. He felt 
something move about his feet and in the darkness 
heard a faint squeal that frightened him half out of 
his wits; and he rushed for the furnace room, thinking 
evil spirits were after him. His shipmates went 
back and found Dennis, as they said, “so thin that one 
could almost read a newspaper through him.” He had 
fallen into one of the coal chutes during the loading of 
the vessel and had been buried in the coal for nearly 
five days without food or water. With good care Den¬ 
nis recovered entirely and became the pet of the York- 
town and cruised with them till they came to the arctic 
regions. 

When the fleet was two days out from Callao, Rear- 
Admiral Evans dispatched the little Yankton to the 
Galapagos Islands to search for an American sailor 
named Fred Jeffs, who was said to be there. He was 
a survivor of the wrecked Norwegian bark Alexandria. 
The party landed and hunted all over the islands for six 


146 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



days, but the only trace they found of Jeffs was a razor, 
and they decided he must have made his escape. 

The sailors saw many strange sights on their way 
to Magdalena Bay. In the vicinity of the Galapagos 
Islands the water was covered with turtles. These 
islands are the home, of gigantic turtles which seem to 


DENNIS THE PIG 

be a survival of the Mesozoic age. Some of the watch 
counted more than five hundred of them floating 
on the water. These islands are uninhabited, but mon¬ 
grel curs escaping from various vessels that have put 
in here for water have multiplied until now fierce 
wild dogs threaten to exterminate what was a very 
interesting survival of an ancient form of life. 

Whaleboats were lowered and several of the turtles 
were captured. The catch was distributed among the 
various messes, and all rejoiced in a treat fit for the 





A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 147 

feast of the Lord Mayor of London. Turtles lay their 
eggs in the sand and the heat of the sun hatches out 
the young ones, which soon make their way to the water. 
Both the eggs and the meat of the turtles are considered 
great delicacies and bring high prices from epicures on 
shore. 

Soon after this the sajlors saw what they thought 
were mackerel, jumping and skipping through the 
water. Fish lines were made ready and all hoped for 
rations of broiled mackerel; but, alas! the supposed 
mackerel turned out to be young seals! 

These creatures were often seen after that, playing 
and sporting on the water. The young seals are bom 
far up north and the islands of Bering’s Sea are a favor¬ 
ite resort of these animals. The nurseries often contain 
thousands of seals and the rocky islands are covered 
with the young ones, bleating like lambs and making 
a deafening noise. The young seals are very helpless 
at first, but they drink plenty of milk and soon grow 
fat and strong. Each mother knows her own little 
one and will pick it out from hundreds of others. 

In a few weeks the young seals learn to swim and 
to catch fish for food; and when the time comes for 
them to start for their antarctic homes, they swim off 
in great companies. How they find their way across 
the great ocean is a mystery, but their migratory in¬ 
stinct, like that of the birds, seems to guide them back 
and forth across the trackless waste of waters. 

Harry was greatly interested in the different sys¬ 
tems of signaling employed on the vessels of the fleet. 
He soon learned that the bright-colored little flags each 




148 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


represented something; and their combinations were 
arranged in the book of the code, which was a key to 
their meaning. There is an international code, which 
all nations, no matter what their language is, can under- 


1 



A PASSING STEAMER 


stand. Besides this, each navy has its own code book 
for its own special use. 

The flags were for daytime, but at night there had 
to be something different and the fleet employed the 
Ardois system of red and white lights. These lights 
are placed high up on the foremast. There are four 
groups of two lights each, a red one and a white one. 
These electric bulbs are hung, one below the other, in 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


149 


a row of eight bulbs of alternate red and white; and 
any or all may be turned on at will. 

According to a prearranged code, these lights, by 
their varying colors, indicate the letters of the alphabet, 
or the ten figures; and so messages may be spelled out 
and numbers sent and the code books on each ship give 
the meaning. 

Sometimes, in both army and navy, messages are 
sent by waving flags, or torches, and this is called wig¬ 
wagging. This system has but one position, in which 
the little flag stick is grasped firmly and held vertically 
in front of the body, the right hand being above the 
left. A motion to the right of the sender means 1. 
Waving the flag to the left means 2. In the third mo¬ 
tion, the flag is lowered to the ground in front of the 
sender, and this indicates the end of the letter, word 
or sentence. Every letter begins and ends w r ith the first 
position, and the code of this system is simple and 
easily learned. 

Messages of all kinds were continually flashing 
from ship to ship and, as by this time the wireless sys¬ 
tem of telegraphy had become quite reliable, there was 
no difficulty in communicating from vessel to vessel. 

Communication between the vessels was necessary, 
for all the departments pertaining to the administration 
of the affairs of the sixteen great ships and their four¬ 
teen thousand men had to make reports to the flagship 
and receive orders in return. The cabin of Rear- 
Admiral Evans was not a luxurious rest-room by any 
manner of means, but looked more like the busy office 
of some great corporation, with desks and clerks and 


150 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


typewriters, getting reports ready to send to headquar¬ 
ters in Washington. 

The sailors found even night watches pleasant as 
they steamed along under a tropical sky. They nar¬ 
rated strange happenings to one another, and related 
thrilling adventures of which they had been the heroes 
on land and sea. The ocean breezes gave them fine ap¬ 
petites and a favorite trick of the men was to secure 
some food for the night from the mess-chests whenever 
there was a good opportunity. 

One night Mac told them of an incident which 
occurred on the Indiana when Evans was in command. 
An old-time blue-jacket was at the mast before Captain 
Evans, charged with taking food from a mess-chest 
outside of meal hours. This getting of food for night 
watches is a common and strong desire on the part of 
most men aboard ship. 

Captain Evans asked the man what he had to say 
and the man, sizing up the situation, said, with a twinkle 
in his eye: “Captain, I didn’t take no food outer that 
chest. Why, captain, there wasn’t no food in that chest. 
I looked into that chest and, captain, I met a cockroach, 
coming out of that chest with tears in his eyes. He 
was ashamed to be seen coming out of such an empty 
chest.” 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


15L 


MAGDALENA BAY 

A stop was made in Magdalena Bay to give our men 
their usual spring practice in gunnery. This bay is in 
the southern part of Lower California and consequently 
belongs to Mexico, but opening as it does into the Pa¬ 
cific Ocean and being protected by Cape St. Lazaro 
to the north, with its entrance guarded by the island 
of St. Margarita, it formed a safe anchorage for the 
fleet. There was no shipping in the harbor and that 
portion of the peninsula has few inhabitants. There 
was no one to be hurt or frightened by the cannon’s 
roar, so this was nearly an ideal place in which to prac¬ 
tise gunnery. 

The success of our first navy under John Paul 
Jones, and later, during the war of 1812, against the 
foremost naval power of the world, led careful observ¬ 
ers to seek for reasons for this, and as early as 1813 
the London Times said, “The fact seems to be but too 
clearly established, that the Americans have some 
superior mode of firing.” This statement was true then 
and is equally true at the present time. The men behind 
the guns have some superior mode of firing; and it is 
due not only to quick eyes and steady hands, but also 
to constant practice in the use of their guns, both afloat 
and ashore. 

Whenever it is practicable, the navy is devoting time 
to making the marksmanship as nearly perfect as pos¬ 
sible and the great guns have become terrible weapons 
in the skilled hands of those who wield them. 

The targets for the firing tests are made of white 
canvas about twelve by sixteen feet. These are mounted 


152 


WITH EYANS TO THE PACIFIC 


in frames and placed on floating rafts, anchored six¬ 
teen hundred yards from the ships, in order to give 
nearly the same conditions as firing at a vessel floating 
on the waves. The canvas is marked off into squares 
and there is a big black bull’s-eye in the center of the 
target. As the great guns are sighted and fired, the 
results are noted and a careful record is kept, for there 
is keen competition among all the vessels of the fleet for 
the championship. 

No time was wasted, for the firing began at day¬ 
break and lasted till dark. Then searchlights were 
turned on the water and the torpedo defense guns began 
their work. It was “Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! 
Bang!” from early morning till late at night; with a 
rush and a hustle over the beach, into the boats, and 
across the bay, to repair the targets and get them ready 
for the next test. 

It is wonderful to see the ease and celerity with 
which the great guns in the turrets are fired. The in¬ 
stant the order to load is given the plug-man, turning 
a crank, moves the breech-block, which revolves and 
leaves an opening in the gun. At the same moment, 
the ammunition car is on its way up the hoist, from the 
handling-room below. 

Like clockwork, when the block revolves out of the 
way, the car, with its heavy projectile and charge of 
smokeless powder, is in its place. There is an electric 
ramrod, with a man in charge. This instantly shoves 
the projectile into place; then the first loader seizes two 
bags of powder and the second follows with two more, 
which are shoved into place behind the projectile. All 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


153 



this is done with lightning-like rapidity, the great rod 
moving as if driven by a steam engine. When the 
charges are in place, the car drops down the hoist to 
the powder-room; the plug-man closes the breech, and 
the great gun is ready for action. 

It is fired by the man assigned to that duty. With 


SIXTH DIVISION THREE-INCH GUNS CREWS 
Courtesy of Bureau of Navigation 

a lever he makes a contact between two electric wires 
which enter the gun, and thus ignites the powder. The 
trainer directs the fire from a commanding position 
above them all. Copper tubes lead into the gun, and 
after each discharge compressed air is turned into them 
and every bit of burning powder is blown out of the 
gun, which is then ready for another load. In old 










154 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


times this cleaning of the gun was done with a wet 
sponge and, of course, took much longer. 

It seems almost incredible that all this is done in 
eighteen seconds, and that at the same time the second 
gun has been operated in precisely the same way by its 
gun squad. These great cannon can be fired every 
eighteen seconds, so they may truthfully be called 
rapid-fire guns. The mechanism and drill for discharg¬ 
ing the smaller pieces are equally perfect. 

But these modern inventions bring evils as well as 
benefits. Sparks of burning powder sometimes drop 
down the hoists and falling into the powder-room are 
a source of danger, and if the air-blast has not thor¬ 
oughly cleaned the gun, burning powder there will 
cause a premature explosion. But the men in the navy 
cheer fully accept all conditions and are ready, for the 
sake of duty, to face all dangers. 

The records made by some of the vessels were aston¬ 
ishingly good. At one trial, with her six-inch battery, 
the Alabama made only thirteen misses out of one hun¬ 
dred and sixty-eight shots; the Georgia, with eight-inch 
and twelve-inch guns, had twenty hits out of twenty- 
five shots in about three minutes; two of the Ohio’s six- 
inch guns hit the mark twenty-three times out of 
twenty-four shots; and other vessels did similar good 
work. 

Battleships have grown bigger and bigger; and 
guns more and more numerous, until we can scarcely 
realize the enormous expense of modern warfare. Some 
idea of the money expended in constructing, equipping 
and maintaining war vessels may be gleaned from the 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


155 


following statement in regard to the cost of our new 
battleships: “The North Dakota, when completed and 
ready to go into commission, will represent an initial 
outlay of $10,000,000. Nearly $1,000,000 of this will 
be spent for guns alone. There are ten twelve-inch 
guns at $ 65,000 each, and fourteen five-inch rifles at 
$10,000 each, in the main battery, besides twelve rapid- 
fire guns and minor pieces. The cost of keeping the 
North Dakota in commission and in first-class fighting 
trim will be $1,000,000 per annum. This includes the 
feeding and paying of her crew of nine hundred offi¬ 
cers and men, ordinary repairs, machinery and other 
ship supplies and coaling. To fire one broadside from 
her main battery will cost $17,000, exclusive of the cost 
of maintaining the gunners. One shot from each 
twelve-inch gun will cost $ 1 , 160 , and from each five- 
inch gun $ 430 . One broadside from the main battery 
means the firing of ten thousand pounds of steel shot. 
This is three thousand more pounds of projectiles than 
Dewey’s whole fleet could fire at the battle of Manila. 
To fire one shot from each twelve-inch gun will require 
two hundred and fifty pounds of powder at eighty cents 
per pound. Each projectile for the twelve-inch gun 
weighs eight hundred and fifty pounds and costs $ 310 , 
making a total cost of $510 for each shot. To this 
must be added an allowance of $650 for deterioration 
in the gun, as the twelve-inch firing-piece is practically 
unfit for further use after being fired one hundred 
times.” 

Jake thought how many poor boys that would take 
care of and educate, and thoughtful persons who con- 


156 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


sider the increasing expense of living in times of peace 
as well as of war cannot help hoping that statesmen 
and nations, taking counsel together, may find some 
means to keep the world’s peace without this lavish 
waste of lives and treasure. 

But, in the meantime, we must take things as we 
find them and if w T e are to have a navy it must be a 
good one. The stay at Magdalena Bay afforded a 
chance for all sorts of drills and one bright day Rear- 
Admiral Evans put the sailors through their paces by 
giving the order, “Clear ships for action.” All on 
board the fleet was rush and hurry, but order came 
quickly out of apparent disorder, and in the shortest 
possible time each man of the fleet was at his appointed 
post, ready for duty. We may all be thankful the mis¬ 
sion of the fleet is one of peace and good will and 
that no blood stained the decks of our beautiful battle¬ 
ships during their cruise. 

Though the drills were stern duty, funny things 
happened sometimes to amuse the crew. One dark 
night the searchlights showed a white spot, which the 
men took for the white turning buoy. The ships were 
well started on the turn, when it was discovered that it 
was not the buoy, but a beautiful white gull which had 
thus deceived them. The gull waited for no further 
developments, but spread its broad wings and flew 
swiftly away. 

Four ranges were set up at a time, and there was 
one ship firing at each range. During leisure hours, the 
men on the other ships amused themselves with boxing 
and rowing matches; and merry parties went out fishing. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


157 


hoping to add to the delicacies of the mess bill of fare. 
One party went fishing and the first haul of the seine 
brought up a shark over seven feet long. The shark, 
in a mad dash for liberty, darted directly between the 
legs of one of the gun squad. It was our old friend 
Mac and he made a high jump which would certainly 
have won the prize upon any athletic field, and the party 
were all glad that they met the shark while it was in 
the seine and not while they were swimming in the 
water. The Pacific coast seems infested with sharks 
and in some places it is unsafe to try ocean bathing. 

The health of Rear-Admiral Evans continued to be 
a source of anxiety to all, though he was a very ener¬ 
getic invalid and dictated letters and signed papers 
when he was too ill to lift his head from his bed. Rear- 
Admiral Thomas was surprised to learn that reports 
had been circulated about, at home, that Admiral 
Evans had transferred the command of the fleet to 
him at Callao. 

He emphatically denied all such rumors and said, 
“ There is absolutely no truth in the story that Rear- 
Admiral Evans has transferred his command to me. 
Never has it even been contemplated. There has not 
been a day that Rear-Admiral Evans has not had full 
grasp of the duties of supreme command. It has been 
my great pleasure to represent him socially, from time 
to time, but it is unjust to him and to me to print that 
he has transferred his command to me. Please deny it 
absolutely.” 

Drill and practice under such a leader, loyally sec¬ 
onded by Thomas and the other officers, had brought 


158 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


everything pertaining to the fleet to a high state of 
efficiency. The ships were now in much better condi¬ 
tion than when they started from Hampton Roads, 
The landlubbers were landlubbers no longer. They had 
learned their duties and performed them well. Each 
ship was now able to make her own repairs and the fleet 
could have sailed round the world, if necessary, without 
going into drydock. 

The Mexican gunboat Tampico had sailed into the 
bay to see the maneuvers of our fleet and a banquet was 
given on board of her by Governor Sanguinez of 
the Southern District of Lower California to the offi¬ 
cers of the American warships. This was greatly en¬ 
joyed, as a testimonial of the friendly feeling of our 
Mexican neighbors, who had also given us the use of 
Magdalena Bay. 

The gunner)^ tests were now all over and the results 
would be made known from Washington. Coaling was 
next in order and, after that, the men gave their ves¬ 
sels a thorough cleaning; then they painted them in 
spotless white, so that they could appear in gala attire 
before the friends who were waiting to welcome them. 

The sailors gave a special evening concert and show 
before their departure from Magdalena Bay and the 
favorite number on the program was the good old 
song, “Home Again, Home Again, from a Foreign 
Shore.” 

The sailors joined in the chorus with a will, and the 
following day officers and men might have been heard 
softly humming and whistling the old refrain. Many 
hearts were grateful to the overruling Providence which 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 159 

had led them, through storm and tempest, safe to their 
native land once more. 

The little torpedo flotilla also came into Magdalena 
Bay for gunnery practice. They had not seen the fleet 
since they parted from them in the Straits of Magellan. 
The flotilla consisted of six torpedo boats—Whipple, 
Truxton, Lawrence, Stewart, Hopkins, Hull—and the 
storeship Arethusa. These little boats form a very im¬ 
portant branch of modern naval warfare. They are so 
frail th&t an accident to one of them means almost cer¬ 
tain death to all on board; but they avoid the stormy 
waves of the open sea, and one great protection is 
their shape and the fact that they lie so low in the 
water that it is difficult to hit them. 

At night they can steal so close to the enemy’s fleet 
that they can discharge their torpedoes, which are filled 
with high explosives, against the vessels, and no battle¬ 
ship can withstand the force of these attacks, for the 
torpedo often strikes the side of the vessel at the water¬ 
line and tears the thick iron-plate covering. 

At night, in time of war, the searchlights are kept 
sweeping the ocean to detect the approach of these 
dangerous visitors. The torpedo boat can advance, 
deliver its shot, and retire in three minutes; and that 
hardly gives time for the battleship to sight her guns, 
aim and fire. Cruisers also are sometimes fitted up 
with tubes for the discharge of torpedoes. 

The newest torpedoes are self-propelling. They 
usually consist of a thin, cigar-shaped metal shell about 
six feet long, containing a charge of from two hundred 
to five hundred pounds of gun-cotton. The gun-cotton 


160 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


has to be kept in casks of water on the boat to prevent 
its exploding prematurely. A great deal of delicate 
mechanism is required for the propelling and steering 
of the torpedo. The torpedo, when discharged, drops 
into the water just below the level of the sea. At the 
stern there is a miniature screw. The torpedo itself is 
really quite like a little submarine boat; and, with the 
power, compressed air, stored up in it, soon develops a 
speed of from twenty to thirty miles an hour. It usu¬ 
ally has power enough to carry it a mile or more. At 
the front is the detonator, like a percussion cap, which, 
striking against the side of the vessel, or other hard 
object, causes a terrific explosion, that rends the heavy 
metal plates as though they were paper. 

To guard against this danger iron-clads have tor¬ 
pedo nets of metal chain work, which swing on booms, 
projecting twenty or thirty feet from the ship. These 
may be raised or lowered at will and form a protection 
for the vessel. 

The secondary batteries, the rapid-fire guns, the 
small guns of the ship, are used to sink the torpedo 
boat, and one shot, well aimed, will annihilate it; but, 
before that happens, the little torpedo boat has power 
to inflict terrible damage upon the ships of an enemy. 
There have been very many improvements since the 
original invention and now there is a torpedo that can 
be steered by electricity from the shore. 

The torpedo destroyer is larger than the torpedo 
boat and it has to be much swifter. It, also, is fitted 
up with tubes and torpedoes and, in addition, carries a 
battery of rapid-fire guns. The torpedo destroyers 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 161 

have very powerful engines and develop great speed, 
so that when the chase once begins there is little chance 
for the escape of the torpedo boat. 

The invention of the torpedo boat was followed by 
that of the torpedo-boat destroyers, and so the game 
of war goes on. Each new form of attack requires 
some new means to repel it, until there seems no limit 
to the requirements; but let us hope that a good time 
is coming when wars shall cease and men will be content 
to dwell in peace as brothers. 

The little torpedo flotilla had many narrow escapes 
coming up the coast of South America and they were 
glad to find themselves safe in the sheltered waters of 
Magdalena Bay. A few of the pleasant April days 
were spent in making needed repairs and a general 
cleaning, then they left Magdalena Bay ready to rejoin 
the fleet for the grand triumphal entry into San Fran¬ 
cisco. 


EARLY DAYS IN CALIFORNIA 

Harry and Jake were anxious to learn something of 
California, as that section of our country was almost 
an unknown land to them; and they employed some of 
their leisure time, before arriving at San Diego, in 
reading up about it. 

When we speak of early days in California, the 
thoughts of many go back to the miners, the forty- 
niners, and no farther; but before Mary Chilton 
stepped upon Plymouth Rock, the importance of Cali¬ 
fornia was known to the Spaniards and settlements had 
been planned within its borders. The towns which the 


162 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


fleet was to visit—San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Bar¬ 
bara, Santa Cruz, and even San Francisco—were origi¬ 
nally missions established by the Spaniards. 

What is now the State of California was discovered 
by Cabrillo, a Spanish navigator, in 1542. Later, in 
1578, the northern portion was visited by Sir Francis 
Drake on his famous voyage around the world. He 
landed near the site of San Francisco, and named the 
land New Albion, and then held what was probably the 
first English religious service on the Pacific Coast. A 
beautiful cross has been erected to commemorate this 
event. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, by order of 
King Charles of Spain, a charge was laid upon the 
Franciscans of Mexico to provide priests to take care 
of the missions already established in Lower California; 
and Fray Junipero Serra and fifteen others were hur¬ 
riedly sent to the coast with the stirring order, “Occupy 
and fortify San Diego and Monterey, for God and the 
King of Spain.” 

Serra, one of the saintliest of men, devoted his life 
to the work. The little missions of the peninsula con¬ 
tributed from their scanty stock cattle, tools, provisions, 
clothing, church bells, and vestments; and gathering up 
whatever could be spared and, taking a few of the more 
adventurous colonists with them, the little party made 
their way, part by land and part by sea, to San Diego. 

From San Diego, other missions were founded up 
the coast and presidios were established for the military 
guardianship of the missions. There were four pre¬ 
sidios, which were at San Diego, Santa Barbara, Mon¬ 
terey, and San Francisco. Attached to these were 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


163 


twenty-seven missions and several pueblos or village 
settlements. 

The presidio consisted of an enclosure about two 
hundred yards square, built of adobe or sun-dried 
bricks, within which were a chapel, storehouses, and a 
house for the commandant. The officers and troops 
were established at the entrance of the presidio and it 
is interesting to know that the military establishments 
of San Francisco and Monterey still keep the old name, 
and are called the Presidio of San Francisco and the 
Presidio of Monterey. 

A mile or so from the presidio and near the anchor¬ 
age was built a little fort with a few pieces of small 
artillery. This was for the defense of the port and 
shipping. 

Of the mission towns, San Diego was first, being 
built in 1769, and San Francisco was last, being founded 
in 1822. The general plan of the missions was the 
same. Each contained a church, habitations for the 
priests, granaries and storehouses for supplies, and the 
necessary buildings for the soap-makers, weavers and 
blacksmiths. There were also barns and pens for the 
cattle, sheep and horses; and separate quarters for the 
Indian boys and girls who were receiving instruction, 
which, aside from the religious teachings, was largely 
an industrial training. The Indian families lived near 
the mission in settlements called rancherias. 

Looking upon what was left undone, perhaps we 
sometimes fail to give Spain due credit for what she 
did for civilization and religion in America. If among 
the Spaniards there were unscrupulous adventurers, 


164 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


whose cruelties shock us even after the lapse of cen¬ 
turies, there were also earnest enthusiasts, whose beau¬ 
tiful lives still serve as an example of unselfish devotion. 

For the fruitful groves of oranges and lemons, the 
vines which now yield such luscious fruit, and the golden 
grain which covers the plains, we are indebted to the 
early Spanish settlers. Nearly all of these were flour¬ 
ishing in the land before the death of Serra in 1786, 
and the cattle and sheep upon a thousand hills are a 
legacy from the mission colonists also. 

The missions did much for the Indians in raising 
them from native savagery and in teaching them the 
elements of Christianity. At the rancherias they learned 
to till the soil and were taught many of the simple 
household arts, such as spinning and weaving. No great 
amount of book-learning was required for such sur¬ 
roundings, but many of the Indians learned to read 
and write and all received useful manual training as 
well as religious instruction. 

The padres quickly learned that the influence of 
the rough soldiers of the camp was often bad, and they 
soon removed themselves and their charges from the 
undesirable proximity of the presidios, and established 
their missions at some little distance from the water, 
or in the foothills. 

These missions were usually built of adobe. Two 
ancient palm trees mark the site of the old San Diego 
mission and nothing but the front of the old mission 
church remains; but the efforts of Serra and his devoted 
companions have left their impress, so that each of the 
old mission towns has its own characteristics, differing 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


165 


from the purely secular settlements, which are of a later 
date. 

Monterey was especially prominent in the history of 
Old California and has been the scene of exciting events* 
Its bay early attracted the attention of navigators, and 
Don Sebastian Viscaino landed there December 10, 
1602, and named it in honor of Monterey, then viceroy 
of Mexico. 

The shores of the bay remained unsettled until 1770, 
when Padre Junipero Serra came with his expedition to 
hold Monterey according to order, “for God and the 
King.” A cross now marks the spot where he landed, 
and his remains rest there in the old San Carlos Mis¬ 
sion, where he died. 

California was separated from Spain by the inde¬ 
pendence of Mexico, and at the time of the Mexican 
war passed into the possession of the United States. 
In 1846 the first American flag in California was raised 
on the old Spanish custom-house which still stands on 
the shore at Monterey. 

What are said to be the first adobe house, the first 
brick building, and the first frame building erected in 
California are shown in Monterey. The State Con¬ 
stitution was ratified in its old State House in 1849, 
for Monterey was the first capital of California; and 
the first theater in California, where Jenny Lind once 
sang, is among the sights of the town. There are 
similar interesting sights in all of the old towns of the 
state, as well as great evidences of modern progress. 

When the little San Antonio sailed into San Diego 
Bay in 1769, perhaps the Indians thought of tales told 


166 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


by their ancestors of the white-faced stranger Cabrillo, 
who had gone and never returned. Serra hung the bells 
on the palm trees and as the dusky children of the for¬ 
est listened to the sweet tones they little knew that the 
bells were ringing the death knell of Indian supremacy 
in that part of the world. “So the old order changeth, 
giving place to new.” 

Again came a change with the discovery of gold in 
the Sacramento valley in 1848. People flocked by thou¬ 
sands to gather in their share of the precious treasure 
and the population became at once overwhelmingly 
American. 

Since then there has been a steady development, 
until now California is one of the great states of the 
Union. It is noted not only for its mineral wealth but 
also for its great agricultural wealth, for its interest in 
the cause of education, and for its progressive spirit in 
all matters of public importance. 

Harry and Jake had heard much of the big trees 
and other great natural wonders of California, and like 
the rest on board the battleships were looking forward 
with bright anticipations to their visit to the Golden 
State. 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


16 ? 


VISITS UP THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA 
As the fleet steamed slowly up the coast of Lower Cali¬ 
fornia, their first home greeting came from an Ameri¬ 
can ocean-bound steamer, which passed them with ban¬ 
ners flying. The passengers on board shouted greet¬ 
ings and with waving flags and heartfelt good wishes 
the big ship passed on her way. 

When the monument marking the boundary between 
the United States and Mexico came into view, one of 
the veterans pointed it out to a group of young sea¬ 
men and said, “Lads, there’s where the States begins. 
There’s the edge of God’s own country. Oh, but it’s 
good to get home!” All had the same feeling—that it 
was “good to get home.” 

San Diego was waiting to welcome them, when the 
fleet approached on April 14, 1908, entering Coronado 
Bay. It was a little past noon and the sun poured his 
golden beams upon the blue waters of the bay and upon 
the greatest fleet ever seen in California waters. Ban¬ 
ners waved, afloat and ashore, and every point of view 
was crowded with people, as the battleships sailed home 
upon a summer sea. 

The leading avenues of the town, running north and 
south, were decorated with banners and streamers of 
yellow and white, typifying the gold and silver of Cali¬ 
fornia; while the vistas, east and w r est, showed festoons 
and draperies of red, white and blue. 

The governor of the state was there to greet them. 
He paid the customary visit of ceremony to the flag¬ 
ship and was received with the due salute from the 
guns and the ruffle of drums, while in token of respect 


168 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



HOME AGAIN 








to his high office, the men manned the sides of the ship. 
But there was one man missing whom all would have 
delighted to honor. Rear-Admiral Evans had been 
compelled to go to the hospital at Paso Robles for treat- 4 
ment. Rear-Admiral Thomas brought the fleet into 
harbor, standing in Evans’s place on the bridge of the 
Connecticut, and it was he who received the governor. 
He had proved himself a kind friend and loyal officer 
and stood ready to assist Admiral Evans by every means 
in his power. 

Governor Gillett showed traces of recent illness, 
but he spoke most eloquently to the admiral and offi¬ 
cers assembled. Admiral Thomas replied briefly and 









A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


169 


heartily. Then Captain Osterhaus summoned the entire 
crew of the Connecticut aft and the governor made a 
speech of welcome to them, telling them that the day 
of their visit was a proud one for California, and com¬ 
plimenting the navy upon its great achievements. At 
the close of the speech the sailors gave three rousing 
cheers for the governor. 

After the official visit was over, little launches could 
be seen skimming across the bay, carrying ashore the 
officers who had leave to the wives and daughters who 
had crossed the continent to greet them. The piazzas 
of the Coronado Hotel were crowded with brass but¬ 
tons and shoulder straps till the house seemed like naval 
headquarters; while on board the ships the sailors were 
looking forward to a great day on the morrow. 

Evening came, bringing with it a scene from fairy¬ 
land. Electricity blazed through the streets of the 
town. Each ship was outlined in incandescent lights; 
thousands of the electric bulbs were strung along the 
deck lines, up to the very top of the masts, far out on 
the signal yard arms, up the huge smokestacks, and 
down to the water’s edge at bow and stern. In letters 
of light, each six feet high, the name of each ship was 
emblazoned across its forward bridge. The ships 
seemed to float upon a shimmering sea of golden light; 
and with all the searchlights turned on, and sending 
brilliant rays heavenward, the fleet was a spectacle of 
beauty never to be forgotten. 

There was a banquet and reception for the admirals 
and leading officers and the next day came the parade 
of the bluejackets. There were over five thousand offi- 


170 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


cers and men in the parade, the largest force of marines 
and bluejackets ever seen in any parade in the United 
States. The line of march was a mile and a half from 
ihe water’s edge to the City Park—and how the people 
cheered them on their way! 

The official welcome was given by Governor Gillett 



BLUE JACKETS ON PARADE AT SAN DIEGO 


and Mayor Forward. Admiral Thomas replied to them 
and received the casket and golden key on behalf of 
Admiral Evans. A gay time followed and in the even¬ 
ing there was another grand illumination and a ball for 
the officers. 

The official program was now over and the next day 










A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


171 


shore leave began for the men. It was Jack’s day ashore 
for his own tun, and he had plenty of it. Wherever the 
bluejackets appeared they were made welcome. People 
stopped them and asked them all sorts of questions 
about their trip. The sailors descended like locusts upon 
the postal card counters and curio shops and the fruit 
stands were cleaned out in short order. 

An automobile picnic and a vaudeville show filled 
the afternoon. The men enjoyed roaming round at 
their own sweet will and when night came they left with 
happy memories of the warm welcome they had received 
at San Diego. 

The next visit was at Los Angeles, which is situated 
back from the water. In order that as many people 
as possible might have an opportunity to see the bat¬ 
tleships, the vessels of the fleet, for the first time since 
leaving Hampton Roads, were separated. A division 
was sent to each of the ports of Los Angeles, and the 
ships were anchored at San Pedro, Long Beach, Santa 
Monica, and Redondo. 

It was Sunday and the Easter services in the beau¬ 
tiful churches were largely attended by the sailors. The 
church squads were first-class liberty men, and received 
the reward of their good conduct on shipboard in being 
given shore leave till Monday morning. 

Father Gleason of the Connecticut and the other 
chaplains of the fleet had done their best for the spiritual 
welfare of the men, but the sailors enjoyed church on 
shore. The welcome given them was warm, but the 
men took their pleasure in a gentlemanly fashion and, 
though the usual ship patrol was landed, there was no 


172 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 



JACK’S DAY ASHORE 


occasion for its services. Admiral Thomas had received 
a letter from the Mayor of San Diego complimenting 
the men upon their excellent conduct and the sailors 
desired to keep this same good record through the entire 
visit up the coast. 

The formal welcome to the fleet was given on Mon¬ 
day and throughout the next five days banquets, balls, 
barbecues and picnics were the order of the day. The 
beaches were thronged with people waiting to visit the 
ships and to see with their own eyes just how blue¬ 
jackets live. 

The parade of the sailors was a great event, and 
the officers, who rode in automobiles, were cheered to 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


173 


the echo and flowers were scattered before them on their 
triumphal way. Fully three thousand sailors went 
ashore each day and they had the usual balloon ascen¬ 
sions and athletic contests, fencing, boxing, etc. “Wild 
West” shows were in full blast and afforded the men 
much amusement. Arthur Rollins of the Kentucky 
beat Bert Compton of the Louisiana for the welter¬ 
weight championship of the fleet. Then there was a 
contest for the heavyweight championship between 
Schlossberg of the New Jersey and Alteiri of the Mis¬ 
souri. It was watched by a throng of shipmates and 
the men were so nearly equal in skill and strength that 
it was almost a draw; but finally Schlossberg won by a 
slight margin and the sailors of the New Jersey felt 
very proud of their muscular champion. After that the 
boys had a Spanish barbecue luncheon. Later there 
were band concerts and fireworks in the park and the 
seamen danced in pavilions with all the pretty girls in 
the town. 

On shipboard, the sailors were hosts and showed the 
ships to their many visitors. The gala week slipped by 
in a round of entertainments and every night the grand 
electrical display delighted the hundreds of thousands 
who were watching from the shore. 

Good news was received from Paso Robles, where 
Admiral Evans was beginning to feel the benefit of 
the medical treatment, and it was announced that there 
was hope of his being able soon to rejoin the fleet. 

In each of the four ports where the ships were an¬ 
chored a round of pleasure was provided for the men, 
lasting till Friday night, when they were required to 


174 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


return to their ships at midnight. After a short night's 
rest, on Saturday morning the ships of the first and 
second divisions from San Pedro and Long Beach pro¬ 
ceeded to Redondo, where they were joined by the third 
division, and the reunited fleet steamed to Santa Monica 
Bay in single column, keeping near the shore, to give 
the people a good opportunity to see the fleet. Then 
they paraded back and forth, with many evolutions, in 
full view of Venice, Ocean Park and Santa Monica; 
after which they took their departure for Santa Bar¬ 
bara, which town they reached about three o’clock in: 
the afternoon. 

Santa Barbara welcomed the fleet with a floral fes¬ 
tival and nothing more beautiful and artistic could have 
been designed. The fete was given on a palm-lined 
avenue, fronting the ocean. On the land side the grand¬ 
stands extended for over a mile and they were decorated 
with greens and flowers; on the opposite side the people 
stood to view the spectacle. At the far end there was 
a pavilion for Rear-Admiral Thomas and his officers, 
who were to review the parade. 

Shortly before three o’clock, Admiral Thomas was 
driven down the line in a coach covered with white 
carnations and roses, an admiral’s flag hung from the 
back. Four white horses, in yellow floral harness, drew 
this fairy coach—compared with which Cinderella’s was 
nothing—and six outriders heralded its approach. Rear- 
Admirals Sperry and Emory followed, drawn in fra¬ 
grant bowers of violets and sweet peas. These officers 
were greeted with hearty cheers as they came down the 
line and took their places for the parade. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


175 



OLD MISSION AT SANTA BARBARA 

First came girls scattering flowers. They were in 
Spanish dress, for Santa Barbara was one of the old 
Spanish mission towns long before the time of the 
Americans. About one thousand sailors followed, 
dressed in white and carrying flowers, instead of bayo¬ 
nets, in their rifles. Each ship sent a detachment of 
picked men to the parade and they held their heads high 
in their consciousness of the honor done them. 

Rear-Admiral Thomas'stood in the reviewing stand, 
under a canopy of red, and saluted each detachment. 
The sailors marched and countermarched, then stood in 
line the entire length of the ocean side of the boulevard. 
Horsemen, whose lances bore American flags, placed 





176 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


themselves in position, every hundred feet down the 
line; then the setting was ready for the real show. 

The grand parade was led by a company of march¬ 
ing girls in blue, followed by the flower bearers. Then 
came Grand Army men, schoolboy zouaves, horsemen 
in colonial dress, and horses with blankets and trappings 
of roses and other beautiful flowers. 

Next came a company of girls in Spanish costume 
with flowers for the officers to use in the floral battle, 
and Miss Josef a de Laguerra, a descendant of the last 
Spanish grandee who ruled California, advanced and 
presented Admiral Thomas with a basket of flowers. 
The Woman’s Relief Corps followed with floral para¬ 
sols of red, white and blue. They were seated near the 
admiral and their parasols formed a floral flag. Then 
came a shower bouquet of marching children, tied with, 
ribbons and covered with flowers. Knights and ladies 
followed. 

The next division contained carriages and automo¬ 
biles, covered with flowers to match the dresses of the 
ladies who rode in them, and there were beautiful floral 
floats, first of which w r as a model of the Connecticut 
with men in the conning tower; but they were conning 
friends, not foes, this time. A great cornucopia of flow¬ 
ers followed, and a war-canoe. 

One of the most effective floats was a representa¬ 
tion of the famous Santa Barbara Mission, done in 
flowers. A detachment of young men marched on 
each side of it, robed in the old Franciscan dress, sing¬ 
ing a Gregorian chant. The whole history of the town 
was told in flowers and so the procession moved on, a 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 177 

mass of beautiful blossoms. Nowhere but in California 
would such a festival have been possible. 

dhe marching line made a complete turn of the 
boulevard, then came back for the battle of flowers. 
Everybody had brought a basket of little bouquets and 
when the signal to fire was given, one could scarcely 
see the sky. The air was full of flowers. Every one 
was hit by the flying missiles and everybody hit some¬ 
body else; and the air was full of rippling laughter. 

When this novel entertainment was ended, the sail¬ 
ors marched down a highway strewn with flowers. One 
could not see the ground. Then they roamed about the 
streets, enjoying the sights and the freedom of life on 
shore; and the following days of the visit were filled 
with a round of banquets, balls, and other entertain¬ 
ments. The railroads and street cars carried the sailors 
free of charge and they rode up and down the coast 
enjoying themselves hugely. 

The five days’ stay at Santa Barbara was marred 
by one untoward incident. In a little restaurant the 
attempt was made to charge two of the men six dollars 
for a steak. The sailors had appreciated the kind wel¬ 
come of the townspeople, but they resented the attempt 
to take advantage of them by extortion. They paid 
the bill under protest and told their friends how they 
had been treated in the place. 

Soon an angry crowd gathered and stones and other 
missiles flew fast, until broken windows and a general 
wrecking of the establishment showed the bluejackets’ 
idea of maintaining their rights. The proprietor and 
his assistants fled from the scene and the general ver- 


178 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


diet of the populace was that it served them right for 
such an imposition on the sailors. 

A dance of flowers concluded the festivities at Santa 
Barbara; then all returned to the ships ready for the 
next round of pleasure. Rear-Admiral Thomas was 
glad to receive a telegram from Admiral Evans from 
Paso Robles Hot Springs saying that he was greatly 
improved by the rest and treatment and that he would 
return to the fleet and hoist his flag on the Connecticut 
when the ships reached Monterey. 

Rear-Admiral Thomas had done all in his power to > 
make the coast visits a success; and he had shown his 
ability in his fine management of the fleet; but he was 
very glad to hear that Fighting Bob was able again to 
take his place in command of the ships. 

The first serious accident of the cruise occurred on 
the Missouri during the run from Santa Monica to 
Santa Barbara. The high-pressure cylinder of the port 
engine blew out and the engine-room was quickly filled 
with escaping steam, but there are heroes in the hold as 
well as on the upper deck and after Herculean efforts 
on the part of the men steam was cut off and all dan¬ 
ger soon passed. The Missouri had the use of only the 
starboard engine the rest of the way and, consequently, 
she was somewhat out of line in the beautiful evolutions 
at the entrance of the fleet. Another cylinder head 
was ordered from Newport to make the stanch old 
Missouri as good as new. 

The time now came to say good-by to Santa Bar¬ 
bara and in the early dawn engines throbbed, wheels 
turned and, drifting away like the phantoms of a dream. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


179 


the sixteen great ships disappeared in the summer haze 
off Point Duma, carrying with them the good wishes 
of a hundred thousand friends on the shore, who had 
gathered there in the early morning to say farewell to 
the great Atlantic Fleet. 

The first of May is a day famous in the annals of 
the navy and the people of old, historic Monterey might 
have called theirs a double celebration, as they thought 
of what Dewey and his boys did at Manila and looked 
forward to all that might lie before these bluejackets, 
just arriving. Before their terms of service are over 
who knows what glorious chapters they may help to 
write upon the pages of our country’s history! Perhaps 
these thoughts were half-consciously in the hearts of the 
people when they sent their loveliest maidens in launches 
to strew the waters of the bay with flowers. 

Emerging from the sea fog of the early morning, 
the line of battleships w r as seen by the waiting people, 
rounding Point Pinos, an hour ahead of time. A steam 
whistle from the shore was their first welcome. 

The Connecticut, Kansas, Vermont, and Louisiana 
came on, close together. The speed cone dropped half¬ 
way from the signal yards of the flagship, thus ordering 
half speed. The remaining vessels of the fleet detached 
themselves from the line; the speed cone dropped still 
lower and, with marvelous precision and grace, the fleet 
executed the division formation and cast anchor with 
the flagships abreast. 

The first of eight long excursion trains was just 
drawing into the station at Monterey and when those 
on board caught sight of the masts of the battleships 


180 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


there was a frantic rush of sightseers to the shore. The 
gallant tars crowded to the sides of the vessels, laughing 
and exchanging greetings with the people; but discipline 
had to be preserved and no visitors were admitted to 
the ships until breakfast was over, and quarters inspec¬ 
tion and the general orders for the day had been at¬ 
tended to. One drill was a novelty and delighted the 
people. A flag fluttered from the admiral’s ship and 
fifteen signal flags answered it. Then, before the lands¬ 
men could enquire what it all meant, the little whistles, 
the big whistles, the fog horns and sirens, every whistle 
in the fleet, broke out in one simultaneous roar. This 
deafening outburst was called “letting loose the dogs 
of war,” and its object was to prove that all signal whis¬ 
tles were in good working order. 

During the morning the fleet was welcomed by the 
mayor and the usual visits of ceremony were exchanged 
between the various officials of Monterey and the offi¬ 
cers of the fleet. Parties of liberty men, seventy-five 
from each ship, were landed, and rambled round, enjoy¬ 
ing the warm welcome and the sights of the town. 

A large detachment of United States troops is sta¬ 
tioned at Monterey and their barracks still bear the old 
Spanish name of the Presidio. The fleet cast anchor 
just in front of their beautiful grounds. One novel 
feature of the afternoon was a baseball game between 
Army and Navy. The navy won with a score of six to 
one; and, the game over, soldiers and sailors might have 
been seen sitting in jolly groups together, fraternizing 
in the most friendly spirit possible. 

Crowds of delighted visitors came by boat and train 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


181 


from coast and interior, and many an ancient farm 
wagon drawn by an old nag appeared, carrying the 
whole family and a big basket of provisions, for all 
were anxious to see the great Atlantic Fleet. There 
were banquets and balls in the evening and all Mon¬ 
terey turned out to see the illumination of the vessels 
and their delight knew no bounds when the giant dogs 
of war changed to a fairy fleet of light, floating on the 
shimmering radiance of the summer sea. 

That was the last opportunity to see them, for the 
next day the Atlantic Fleet divided, in order that there 
might be a simultaneous celebration at Santa Cruz and 
Monterey. So, soon after daybreak, the first squadron 
—consisting of the Connecticut, the Kansas, the Vir¬ 
ginia, the Louisiana, the Georgia, the New Jersey and 
the Rhode Island—weighed anchor and sailed to Santa 
Cruz, which is twenty miles across the bay. 

The men of the Missouri had been busy with repairs. 
It had at first been feared that the ship would not be 
able to proceed to San Francisco, but her broken engine 
was put in fair working order, so that she was able to 
make eleven Jmots an hour, and she took her part in the 
maneuvers off Port Harford in perfect alignment. So 
it seemed, after all, that the “sweet sixteen” would be 
able to make their best bow together when they entered 
the Golden Gate. 

Wretched weather rather spoiled the next day and 
the storm was so severe as to prevent small boats from 
visiting the battleships, but, though it was the windiest 
day the bay had known for months, the waves could not 
disturb the big ships floating quietly on the waters. 


182 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


The first squadron of the fleet arrived at Santa Cruz 
after a two hours’ trip and anchored in the open road¬ 
stead. The heavy swells made landing difficult. Mayor 
Palmer and a committee of citizens extended an official 
welcome to Admiral Thomas on board the Connecticut 



CUSTOM-HOUSE IN MONTEREY—THE OLDEST IN CALIFORNIA 


and nearly twenty-five hundred children of the public 
schools lined the streets in the afternoon as the admiral 
and his officers drove by. Fireworks on the beach and 
a grand illumination of the battleships made a brilliant 
close to the day. 

The first and second squadrons of the fleet divided 
the honors of the day; Admiral Sperry on the Illinois 
and Admiral Thomas on the Connecticut seeming to 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 183 

receive equal attention. Monterey and Pacific Grove 
continued to furnish enjoyable entertainments to the 
sailors. The program included boat races and boxing 
bouts, a “Wild West” show in the park, rides and drives, 
and dinners and dances in the evening; and the Native 
Sons and Daughters kept open house in the historic old 
custom-house. 

At Santa Cruz there was a similar program, while 
daily excursions to the nearby grove of giant redwoods 
were a source of wondering interest to those who had 
never before seen these mighty monarchs of the forest. 

A Spanish barbecue was given for the visitors. Deep 
pits had been dug in the ground and five cords of hard 
oak wood were used to build the fires, which were lighted 
at two o’clock in the morning. At noon, the hot coals 
were pronounced to be just right, the thick steaks were 
put on to broil and were sprinkled with fragrant bay 
leaves, as they were cooking. The hospitable people 
of Santa Cruz provided four beeves, sixteen sheep, and 
six hundred loaves of bread as the basis of the enter¬ 
tainment; and the feast, served under the shade of the 
gigantic sequoias, was one long to be remembered by 
the guests. The marine band, loaned for the occasion 
by Admiral Thomas, added to the pleasure of the 
outing. 

Sunday was observed in'the towns of the bay as 
Patriots’ Day and large numbers of bluejackets w r ere 
to be seen in all the churches. It had been planned to 
give the children a chance to visit the battleships, but a 
rising wind interfered. Those who stood patiently wait¬ 
ing on the dock suffered one of the great disappoint- 


184 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


merits of childhood; but the waves were so high that it 
would not have been safe to take the little ones out in 
crowded small boats. 

In obedience to signal orders, at half-past two 
o’clock on Monday afternoon the warships at Monterey 
pulled their mud-hooks from the bottom and started 
across the bay to rejoin their companions at Santa Cruz. 
Rear-Admiral Sperry on the battleship Illinois led the 
way gallantly out of the harbor; and following in single 
file were the Kentucky, the Ivearsarge, the Maine, the 
Ohio, the Missouri, and the Minnesota. The shores were 
lined with throngs of spectators, and, with waving hand¬ 
kerchiefs and fluttering flags, the people of Monterey 
shouted their farewells to the fleet. 

Good news had come from Evans. Fighting Bob 
had had another fight—this time against sickness and 
suffering—but he had won and had sent word that he 
was coming from Paso Robles to Monterey to take his 
place on the flagship; so in the early morning, the Con 
necticut slipped across the bay to Monterey to be ready 
for the admiral. 

The old naval hero, though broken in health, was as 
brave and courageous as when he stormed .Fort Fisher. 
Many men might have shrunk from the trip before him, 
but his one thought was to do his duty. When he was 
placed in the chair at Paso Robles to be lifted into the 
car, the pain was intense, but he did not give up; he 
only set his jaws tighter and said, “I’ll take my fleet 
into San Francisco, if I am a corpse when I get there.” 

At half-jDast ten o’clock in the morning the special 
train rolled into the station at Monterey. Admiral 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


185 


Evans was accompanied by his son, Lieutenant Evans, 
Lieutenant Train and Doctor McDonnold. Mayor 
Jacks was there to speak a word of welcome to the 
honored guest, and W. E. Parker, Secretary of the 
Fleet Entertainment Committee, on behalf of the citi¬ 
zens wished the hero health and prosperity. 

( Evans descended the car steps with the aid of his 
crutch and was placed in a rolling-chair and taken to 
the end of the wharf, where the launch from the Con¬ 
necticut was waiting. When they saw him coming the 
crew gave him a hearty greeting. 

The crowd with wagonloads of flowers had gathered 
at the other wharf, expecting to see him where the dis¬ 
patch boat Yankton lay. They were unable to get to 
the Connecticut’s launch in time, hut watched the em¬ 
barkation with great interest and sent shouts of greeting 
across the intervening water. 

As the launch reached the flagship, Evans was 
helped out. Making an almost superhuman effort, the 
old hero started to go up the side without his crutch. 
His friends, however, interfered and he was assisted 
up. His appearance on deck was the signal for tumul¬ 
tuous cheers from his men, which could be heard a mile 
away. At the same moment the admiral’s flag broke 
forth from the masthead. 

Shortly after noon, the Connecticut weighed anchor. 
It had been arranged that the rest of the fleet would 
join it outside of Santa Cruz and then w r ould proceed, 
under the leadership of Evans, to San Francisco. 

No one can tell what this effort to be in his place 
and perform his duty cost the admiral. Devotion to 


186 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


duty has ever been his highest ideal; no obstacle has been 
allowed to stand in its way. It is this feeling which has 
so endeared him to the American people. 

Rear-Admiral Thomas now hoisted his flag on the 
Minnesota and took his old command of the second 
squadron. The fleet now had its original four rear- 
admirals in charge of the four divisions. They were 
Evans, Emory, Thomas and Sperry. The last of the 
liberty men had returned to the ships and at three 
o’clock in the afternoon, saying good-by to Santa Cruz, 
the ships formed in single column and sailed for San 
E rancisco. 

Every preparation was being made to receive them. 
The Pacific Squadron, under Rear-Admirals Dayton 
and Sebree, was on its way from the North to take part 
in the welcome to the Atlantic Fleet; and wireless mes¬ 
sages were flashing from Rear-Admiral Dayton’s flag¬ 
ship, the West Virginia, telling that all was well. 

The little torpedo flotilla had done fine work and, 
hugging the coast of South America and Mexico, had 
arrived in safety at San Diego and was now to rejoin 
the fleet from which it had been separated so long. 
Though not so much in public view as the big battle¬ 
ships, it had faced greater dangers from storm and 
wave, during the long voyage from Hampton Roads. 

San Francisco had made great preparations to wel¬ 
come and entertain the fleet and thousands and thou¬ 
sands from neighboring towns and states were prepar¬ 
ing to come to the great celebration. The call of the 
fleet was heard from afar and was answered in many 
ways. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


187 


A pathetic though amusing incident occurred in con¬ 
nection with the arrival of the fleet. A little chap, 
wearing a sailor hat six sizes too large for him and with 
traces of jam from his mother’s pantry still lingering 
round the corners of his mouth, arrived in town to wel¬ 
come the warship. He was little five-year-old Willie 
Sweitzer and was fished from beneath a seat in an early 
train from Monterey, on its arrival at the station, by a 
detective employed by the railway company. The little 
boy said he lived in Monterey and that his father was 
a printer. Heartbroken at seeing the beautiful ships 
sail away, and missing a big sailor who had made a 
pet of him, the little fellow had determined to follow 
his new friends, and be in San Francisco to meet them. 

“I des corned to see the fleet,” he said. “I des corned 
on the car, and I’se going to be a real live sailor.” 

The hat he wore was that of a bluejacket from the 
Missouri and it fell round his shoulders like a little cape. 
The kind detective took the small chap to a restaurant, 
where he tucked away a couple of eggs and some toast 
with keen relish after his night’s ride. Little Willie was 
cared for in the Detention Home, till his father could 
come for him. So he had his chance to see the fleet 
again, after all. 

The sailors had made every effort to do justice to 
the lavish hospitality of their kind entertainers, but by 
this time there had been so many feasts and banquets 
that many of the men were nearly used up; and this 
view of matters was well expressed in the following 
humorous verses, which appeared in the San Francisco 
Chronicle :— 


188 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


THE CRUISE OF THE BANQUETEERS 

I was lengthy and thin, when we first started in, 

And my uniform fitted me loose; 

Now my rig is a sight, and my waist is a fright, 

And my liver has gone to the deuce. 

Yes, you’ve got to be strong, or your stomach goes wrong 
With a banquet in every old port; 

If you can’t show some speed when you line up to feed, 
Why, your nautical life is cut short. 

Well, I always was there, and I’ve stood for my share 
At the banquets from ocean to ocean, 

Though at one barbecue they put out forty-two, 

So I think I’m in line for promotion. 

When I first ate my fill in a town in Brazil, 

Well, I loosened three holes in my belt; 

It was dinner and tea and then curtains for me, 

When the pa!ngs of the colic I felt. 

But a stern boatswain’s mate, who was blind to my state. 
Yelled, “Get up there, and eat like a man.” 

At the twentieth plate I dropped down like a weight, 

And they worked on my corpse with a fan. 

Then I took a short trip on the hospital ship, 

And I tasted the joys of starvation; 

But I rose from my bed for more banquet^ ahead, 

And I ate for the pride of the Nation. 

The Lieutenant, he quit, and the Captain’s unfit, 

And the starboard watch “jackies” are out; 

The marine corps has dropped and the fire crew has stopped. 
And the ensign is lame with the gout, 

But I’m doing my best to make up for the rest— 

Till the flag is hauled down I will eat; 

I’m the last of the crew, and my finish is due; 

But I’m game for the pride of the fleet. 



A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


189 


I’m a modest jack tar, as the most of us are, 

But I hope that the papers will mention 

That I stuck to the last, though the banquets came fast— 

And perhaps they will give me a pension. 

—W. O. McGeehan. 

The two squadrons from Santa Cruz and the flo¬ 
tillas of torpedo boats and destroyers moved according 
to the program, and led by the Connecticut made the 
cruise up the coast to the San Francisco lightship, where 
they cast anchor and took a muchriieeded night’s rest to 
be in readiness for the great day at San Francisco. 

THE GOLDEN GATE 

Come in, O ships! The purple crown 
Of Tamalpais is looking down, 

And from the Contra Costa shore 
Diablo leans across once more 
To listen for the signal gun, 

Proclaiming that a port is won. 

* ***** * 

Come in, O ships! The voyage is done. 

Magellan’s stormy cape is won; 

And all the zones have seen thee trail 
Thy glorious banners down the gale. 

No stranger here to greet thee springs; 

It is thine own sweet land that sings 
Come in—come home; the Gate swings wide, 

Drift in upon the happy tide; 

For lo, upon the yellow sands, 

I wait with garlands in my hands. 

The foregoing lines well describe the spirit of hospi¬ 
tality with which the people of San Francisco waited 

* From ‘California to the Fleet,” by Daniel S. Richardson. Published in the Sunset 
Magazine, May 190S. 



190 WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 

the arrival of the battleships. The busy days of prepa¬ 
ration were over and, on the morning of the sixth of 
May, the city waited to welcome the Atlantic Fleet, 
which had come over fourteen thousand miles to greet 
them. The excitement reached its height when the Con- 


FORT AT THE GOLDEN GATE 

necticut, with Rear-Admiral Evans’s flag at the mast¬ 
head was seen entering the Golden Gate; behind it fol¬ 
lowed the rest of the fleet, now numbering eighteen bat¬ 
tleships, the torpedo flotilla, and half a dozen auxiliary 
cruisers. No such massing of ships had ever before 
been seen in American waters. 






A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


191 


San Francisco seemed wild with excitement and 
hundreds of thousands lined the sides of the bay and 
were assembled on the hillsides, up and down the coast. 
The fleet, according to plan, had anchored over-night at 
the lighthouse, ten miles out, and, when morning came, 
a dense fog shut everything from view; but, just as the 
ships were ready to start, the fog lifted, as by magic, 
the sun shone out as though to say, “Welcome to all,” 
and the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay lay in all 
their beauty before them. How the people did shout as 
the great ships, all trimmed with flags, sailed in at ten 
knots an hour! The perfection of drill kept each ship 
in place. 

General Funston broke all precedent by firing a 
national salute to the fleet and its heroic leader; and 
he used his blackest powder and his biggest guns to 
do it; and from Fort Winfield Scott on the south and 
from Fort Baker on the north of the bay came salutes 
of welcome. The Connecticut responded before Fort 
Baker had finished firing. Then came into view Rear- 
Admiral Dayton’s Pacific Squadron, consisting of eight 
of the largest armored cruisers. “Bang” went the sa¬ 
lute, and “Bang!” rang back the volley from the ships 
in answer. 

The people by this time were fairly wild. The bay 
1 was crowded with pleasure boats; the hills were black 
with people; they covered the housetops, and the unfin¬ 
ished buildings fairly tottered with their load of human¬ 
ity. San Francisco had not experienced such a com¬ 
motion since the earthquake. 

Coming down the bay, the Connecticut was nearly 


192 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


opposite the ferry, when she approached the Yorktown, 
which had the flag of Secretary Metcalf of the Navy 
flying from the mast. Now it was the Connecticut’s 
turn to salute. Admiral Evans was glad to see his old 
ship again. Seventeen guns were fired by each ship as 
she passed the Yorktown, four ruffles were sounded 
on the drums, the bands played, and the marines pre¬ 
sented arms. Then up the channel came Rear-AdmiraL 
Dayton’s Pacific Squadron, flanked by his torpedo 
boats, and joined the main squadron. 

There were now forty-two warships in line — 
eighteen battleships, eight armored cruisers, and many 
torpedo boats and auxiliaries. The line stretched out 
over five miles, from the Connecticut, which led the 
fleet, to the smaller auxiliaries, which brought up the 
rear. The fleet went on, past the city, and made a great 
circle in the beautiful bay. 

The Connecticut swung back into place just as the 
last boats of the naval parade were coming in. The 
first squadron was now in line, the second having swung 
to one side to enable it to come up on the starboard side 
of the first. The Connecticut stopped her engines and 
hauled down her anchoring signal, eight anchors 
plunged into the bay and instantly the eight ships sent 
up long rows of beautiful flags and pennants. It 
seemed like magic. The other squadrons anchored in 
turn, and the Atlantic Fleet had officially ended its long 
cruise of fourteen thousand four hundred miles from 
Hampton Roads to San Francisco. The remaining 
ceremonies were simple. Mayor Taylor and a reception 
committee called to welcome Rear-Admiral Evans. 


A STORY OF THE BATTLE FLEET 


193 


Rear-Admiral Thomas called on the Secretary of the 
Navy, Mr. Metcalf, and later the secretary visited the 
other admirals. 

It was a proud day for all the fleet, but the proudest 
man of all, probably, was Admiral Evans, who had 
rounded out his long years of service to his country by 
the successful completion of this great achievement. 

It was probably his last day of command on an 
American warship and sad thoughts as well as glad 
thoughts must have filled his heart. It was his day and 
he had risen from a sick bed to take command. He di¬ 
rected personally all the movements of the fleet. For 
nearly an hour he sat in a chair (being unable to stand) 
on the after bridge of the Connecticut; then the cold 
wind drove him into the emergency cabin; but he could 
see every movement of the fleet, which he directed, and 
his face showed how he loved the beautiful ships which 
had .been his home for so many years. He was fairly 
radiant to think that he had got back to his flagship; 
and the ovation he received was a glorious culmination 
to a glorious career. 

When night came, San Francisco blazed with lights 
in honor of the visitors; the illuminations of the battle¬ 
ships were a source of delight to all beholders. The 
great ships again floated like a fairy fleet upon a golden 
sea, amidst the brilliant gleam of lights from the towns 
on the encircling shore. The beautiful sight had all the 
charm of a scene from fairyland. 

The following day—May the seventh—was set for 
the grand parade. Harry and Jake, not being marines, 
had shore leave and were able to view the procession to 


194 


WITH EVANS TO THE PACIFIC 


1 


the best advantage. Jake took up his j )sition on tb 
curbstone with a lamp-post near to support him, while 
Harry, being taller, stood behind. The city was one 
mass of flags and red, white and blue bunting, and one 
could scarcely realize how recently the terrible earth¬ 
quake shocks had brought death and destruction to this 
beautiful town; all misfortune was "^rgotten in the 
joy of welcoming the fleet. 

It was practically the closing day of the official 
career of Rear-Admiral Robley D. } vans and every 
effort was made to make the day a gk/ous one—a fit¬ 
ting recognition of his long years of service and of his 
long years of suffering. The long years of work were 
over, the time for rest had come, but b, fore his retire¬ 
ment it was right that he should have his day of tri¬ 
umph. The great fleet swung forgotten in the har¬ 
bor. It was Evans, Fighting Bob, thai the people had 
come to see. He had come from his sick-bed to greet 
them and they gave him the people’s love and greeting 
in return. 

As the daily journals said, “The people seemed to 
realize what a mighty eff011 it had cost him to make his 
final appearance that day. It was Fighting Bob they 
acclaimed, and while it was true that there was great 
enthusiasm for various features of the parade, it was 
also true that the parade consisted chiefly of Bob Evans, 
first, last and all the time. He said his good-by and 
with a smiling face. From start to finish, the ad¬ 
miral was the center of a demonstration of frenzied 
enthusiasm.” H 29 83 



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